Cameroon can begin to banish the memory of their disastrous 2014 FIFA World Cup if they can put in a good showing at the African Nations Cup finals in Equatorial Guinea.

The Indomitable Lions were a shambles in Brazil, with fighting on and off the pitch, red cards and ultimately no points.

The country's football association decided to stick with German coach Volker Finke and he has engineered a complete turnaround in their fortunes as they prepare to meet Mali in the opening Group D game in Equatorial Guinea on Tuesday (kick-off 19h00 GMT).

Finke cut out many of the old guard in the squad and opted for fresh faces, which appears to have worked a treat as they powered through qualifying, coming out of a difficult pool that also included Ivory Coast and DR Congo.

They have been among the form sides on the continent since the World Cup and should go into this tournament with the hope of going deep into the competition and perhaps even all the way.

Gone is talisman Samuel Eto'o, who retired following the World Cup, while his nemesis in the national team, Alex Song, has also been cut loose.

The side is now skippered by midfielder Stéphane Mbia and leading the line is forward Vincent Aboubakar.

Mbia is enjoying the new atmosphere around the team.

"I think the most important thing is the work that the manager has done. I am just a go-between for the coach and the players," he told FIFA.

"I think the manager has been able to impose his decisions and discipline which will be our strength in the coming years. We are all pulling in the same direction and if you have team-mates who are all prepared to work for each other - I think that shows what the mood within the squad is like."

Defensively they look very sound and the general atmosphere around the team appears to have lifted, with none of the infighting that has blighted the side for the last half-decade.

Amid that backdrop, Cameroon should be considered a formidable foe.

Mali have finished third at the last two Nations Cup tournaments and will again rely on their star man Seydou Keita to see them through this tournament.

At 35 years of age he might not be the force of old, but he still commands respect as a leader and is the man around which coach Henryk Kasperczak builds his side.

Forward Modibo Maïga has made something of a surprise return to the squad, part of a team with good experience and one of the higher average ages in the competition.