Egypt and Niger take a break from their 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers when they lock horns at the Borg El Arab Stadium in a thrilling friendly on Friday.
Jean-Michel Cavalli's side head into the weekend fresh off the back of ending a run of six consecutive games without a win and will be looking to keep the juggernaut rolling.
Match preview
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Egypt were condemned to back-to-back defeats for the first time since January as they were thrashed 4-1 by South Korea when the sides squared off in a friendly clash back in June.
Paulo Bento's men simply ran riot at the Seoul World Cup Stadium where Hwang Ui-jo and Kim Young-gwon scored to hand South Korea a 2-1 first-half lead before Cho Gue-sung and Kwon Chang-Hoon netted to complete the rout.
Prior to that, the Pharaohs kicked off their quest for a place in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations with a 1-0 victory over Guinea on June 5 before visiting the Bingu National Stadium four days later where they were beaten 2-0 by Ethiopia.
Egypt, who were beaten on penalties by Senegal to see their World Cup dream come crashing down in the playoffs round, now return home, where they are on a blistering run of eight consecutive victories, stretching back to a 1-1 draw with Kenya in November 2019.
The seven-time African champions will fancy their chances of ending their losing streak and picking up a morale boosting result as they take on a Niger side who they are unbeaten against in their last four encounters, claiming three wins and one draw since a 1-0 loss in 2010.
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Niger, on the other hand, secured their place in the 2022 Africa Nations Championship when they claimed a hard-fought 3-2 victory over their West African counterparts Togo in a two-legged playoff.
Having suffered a slender 1-0 defeat in Togo on August 28, Cavalli's men returned home six days later where they thrashed the Sparrowhawks 3-0 at the Stade Gereral Seyni Kountche to overturn their first-leg deficit and secure an aggregate victory.
Prior to their second-leg victory, Niger went six consecutive games without a win across all competitions, including two draws in the 2023 AFCON qualifiers, where they are currently second in Group F, four points off first-placed Algeria.
The Menas will look to build on their win over Togo and put together a fine run of form as they eye just their third-ever Africa Cup of Nations appearance and their first since the 2013 campaign, where they crashed out in the group stages after picking up one point from a possible nine.
Team News
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Just two months and three games into the head coaching role, Ehab Galal, who took over the reins from Carlos Queiroz, was relieved of his duties by the Egyptian Football Association back in July, with Portuguese coach Rui Vitoria taking over the vacant spot.
Vitoria has named a 27-man squad for the upcoming friendlies against Niger and Liberia, with five Zamalek players called up to the squad, including goalkeeper Mohamed Sobhi, defender Ahmed Fattouh and midfielder Emam Ashour.
Liverpool star Mohamed Salah, who missed the Pharaoh's last two matches, recently joined up with the squad, while Mahmoud Trezeguet, who has two goals and one assist in the Turkish Super Lig this season, has also been called up.
Ipswich Town midfielder Sam Morsy, whose last international appearance came in October 2018, has been overlooked by Vitoria despite being named in the provisional squad, while Eslam Eiss, Mahmoud Hamada and Karim Fouad could all make their debuts.
Meanwhile, we expect Cavalli to deploy his preferred 4-2-3-1 formation against the record African champions, with Kassaly Daouda between the sticks and a centre-back pairing of Abdel Rahim Alhassane and 23-year-old Karim Doudou.
At the centre of the park, 29-year-old Ousmane Diabate and US Monastir man Youssouf Oumarou started June's AFCON qualifying game against Uganda and both players should retain their roles in midfield.
Daniel Sosah, who has registered six goals and three assists in 22 games for Belarus side Isloch Minsk Region, should spearhead the Menas' attack once again, alongside former Braga forward Amadou Wonkoye.
Egypt possible starting lineup:
El Shenawy; Gaber, Hamdi, Hegazi, Fouad, Fathi, Hamada, Hamed; Trezeguet, Marmoush, Mohamed
Niger possible starting lineup:
Kassaly; Sabo, Alhassane, Doudou, Garba; Oumarou, Diabate; Adje, Moumouni, Wonkoye; Sosah
We say: Egypt 2-0 Niger
While Niger will be looking to build on their victory over Togo, they face the stern challenge of taking on an Egypt side, who have won their last eight games on home turf. Given the gulf in class and quality between the two sides, we predict that the Pharaohs will claim a comfortable win in front of their home fans once again.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joshua Ojele
