Ask any number of football fans who they are backing to win the FIFA U-20 World Cup Egypt 2009 and few are likely to plump for Cameroon. Led by one of the most tenacious coaches around, the African side have every intention of proving the doubters wrong and taking the tournament by storm.

The Young Lions have been on Egyptian soil for a week now, and they have been quietly going about their business with impressive foresight. "It was important to get here this early," the trainer in question, Alain Wabo, told FIFA.com. "On the one hand, it's helped us acclimatise to conditions very different from those back home right now, and on the other I wanted to lead my players into the thick of things step by step. I'm proud that the national association had the means to support our ambitions. So far, everything is going according to plan."

Based in the calm surroundings of Ismailia, Cameroon are gearing up for the tournament by alternating between two training sessions per day, and one training session plus a warm-up match. Wabo's charges have failed to triumph in their last two outings, recording a draw and a loss, but the self-taught coach is not about to worry yet.

"What's important wasn't the results but the way we played," he said. "From that point of view, these two matches were very positive. There's still a few adjustments we need to make, particularly going forward, but I think we'll be ready by Saturday."

Saturday marks Cameroon's opening fixture in the competition, the runners-up at the last CAF African Youth Championship taking on Korea Republic at the Mubarak Stadium in Suez. Their upcoming opponents look to be the weakest in Group C, but as with fellow section tenants Germany and USA, Cameroon would be well advised not to take the 2008 AFC U-19 Championship semi-finalists lightly.

"Our task won't be easy in this pool because we'll be up against a totally different approach to football," added Wabo. "Our opponents have a tendency to play with pace and technique, whereas we are more used to posing a constant physical challenge. That's why I say we still need to show more flair in attack to become even better."

Always alive to the finer details, both in his thoughts on the game and the exercises he devises for his players, Wabo has enjoyed a reputation as somewhat of a Cameroonian Fabio Capello since first taking up coaching at the age of 21. "Discipline and rigour have always been what my work is based on," he explained, confirming his admiration for the current England manager.

Wabo also owes his reputation to his feats at domestic level, having led three Cameroonian outfits into the first division as well as masterminding three consecutive league titles with Renacimiento in Equatorial Guinea. Clinching the global title would further enhance his standing and he has total faith that his players can progress to the final on 16 October. "We've come to Egypt to win the World Cup," he said. "I'm not the kind of person who sets unrealistic goals; I know this squad can do it."