Janice R. Andrews
Two of the most successful teams in the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon), Ghana and Egypt, will square off in a much awaited match in their second group match at 20:00 GMT.
Seven-time champion Egypt drew their opening match 2-2 against Mozambique, largely due to a late penalty kick from standout player Mohamed Salah. However, Ghana lost against Cape Verde in the final seconds of the game, thus finishing their first game empty-handed.
Ghana is hoping for a turnaround against Egypt after going winless in their previous five Afcon games (D2, L3). The Pharaohs, meanwhile, have only dropped one of their previous 20 Afcon group-stage matches, a 1-0 loss to Nigeria in 2022 (W14, D5).
In light of the match’s importance, Ghana’s coach Chris Hughton said, “We need to play at a high level to get the result we need.” Hughton is under increasing pressure to perform because Ghanaian stakeholders and supporters want a successful conclusion.
Hughton stated, “Kudus trained with the squad these past few days, and we will assess him on Thursday morning to see if he can play in this game.” Star player Mohamed Kudus was injured and missed the first game.
Rui Vitoria, the coach of Egypt, is aware of Ghana’s advantages, notably Mohamed Salah of West Ham. He stated, “Ghana is a tough opponent, but we have responsible players who are up to the task.”
Jordan Ayew, the striker for Ghana, believes that this match presents a chance for atonement, saying, “We will force things against Egypt because sometimes things don’t go in our favour.”
After two games, Egypt will have four points if they win this match, while Ghana will still be pointless.
Group News:
Egypt:
- Egypt will probably start with the same team that played Mozambique to a 2-2 draw.
- For coach Rui Vitoria, there are no new injury concerns.
- It’s anticipated that Mohammed Elneny will start in midfield.
- Omar Marmoush might take Trezeguet’s place, but no other big moves are expected.
El-Shenawy, Hany, Hegazy, Abdelmonem, Hamdi, Zizo, Elneny, Fathi, Marmoush, Mohamed, Salah were the predicted Egypt XI.
Ghana:
- The team that fell to Cape Verde has undergone alterations, according to coach Chris Hughton.
- If Mohamed Kudus clears a late fitness test, he’s probably coming back.
- Daniel Amartey and Abdul Salis Samed might start on defence, with Inaki Williams most likely in the main role.
Ghana XI prediction: Jordan, Paintsil, Kudus*/Bukari, Inaki, Ofori, Odoi, Djiku, Amartey, Mensah, Salis, Ashmeru, and Jordan
Important Players:
Egypt’s Mohamed Salah:
- In 2017, Salah defeated Ghana 1-0 to score his first goal at the Afcon.
- He has seven Afcon goals overall and has scored in his last two games against Ghana.
- As of right now, Salah is the only player from Egypt to score in all four Afcon competitions (2019, 2020, 2022, 2023).
Ghanaian Andre Ayew:
- Ayew wants to record the most goals in seven Afcon competitions as a player.
- Ayew’s absence means that Inaki Williams will have more pressure to perform in front of goal.
Comparatively speaking:
- Ghana and Egypt will play each other five times at the Afcon.
- There have only been five goals scored in the last four games between the two.
- Egypt wants to avoid losing their opening two group-stage matches for the first time since matchday 2 against Ghana in 1992.
