Preview: South Sudan vs Egypt - prediction, team news, lineups

After a disappointing Africa Cup of Nations qualifying opener last week, Egypt look to get off the mark when they travel to Juba to face South Sudan on Tuesday afternoon.

The Pharaohs were held to a goalless draw by Angola in Cairo, leaving them two points behind early Group B leaders Malawi, who began their campaign with a 2-1 victory over the Bright Stars, currently sitting bottom of the section.

Match preview

For a side that had found the net in each of their previous seven matches across all competitions, Egypt's goalless draw against Angola came as a surprise, particularly after Hossam Hassan's men dominated possession and created enough chances to claim all three points.

Mostafa Ziko thought he had broken the deadlock in the first half before his effort was ruled out for offside, while Omar Marmoush saw a late effort saved as the Pharaohs' failure to turn their control into goals cost them two valuable points.

The result also means that Egypt have now failed to win any of their last four matches inside 90 minutes, having drawn with Iran on matchday three of the World Cup group stage before beating Australia on penalties after another stalemate, then suffering a dramatic 3-2 defeat to Argentina in the last 16.

Currently ranked 24th in the FIFA World Rankings, the Pharaohs are 145 places above South Sudan, but that sizeable gap could count for little if the seven-time African champions fail to adapt to the artificial surface at Juba National Stadium, particularly with Mohamed Salah rested for the trip because of concerns over the playing conditions.

There is also greater pressure on Egypt to rediscover their qualifying form after they went unbeaten throughout their previous AFCON campaign, winning four and drawing two to finish top of a group containing Botswana, Mauritania and Cape Verde.

Meanwhile, South Sudan have never reached the finals of the continental competition since gaining independence in 2011 and joining FIFA in 2012, while their most recent AFCON qualifying campaign ended with them bottom of Group K after one win and five defeats.

Last week's defeat at Malawi came despite Stephen Joseph Dhata cancelling out Babatunde Adepoju's opener before Lloyd Njaliwa restored the hosts' advantage in the second half to leave South Sudan empty-handed.

That defeat means South Sudan have won just one of their last 11 matches (D3, L7), dating back to late December 2024, with that solitary victory coming in this year's AFCON qualifying preliminaries, where they recorded a 4-0 triumph over Djibouti before losing the return leg 1-0 and progressing to the group stage.

Tuesday's contest represents another major test for new head coach Christian Nsengi-Biembe, who was appointed in August, although he can take some encouragement from the way his side performed in spells against Malawi.

South Sudan will hope home advantage can help them cause Egypt problems, although there is little to draw on from the head-to-head record, with the Pharaohs winning 3-0 in their only previous senior meeting in June 2023.

South Sudan Africa Cup of Nations Qualifying form:

South Sudan form (all competitions):

Egypt Africa Cup of Nations Qualifying form:

Egypt form (all competitions):

Team News

Egypt captain Salah is unavailable for the trip because of the risk of injury on the artificial surface at Juba National Stadium, while Osama Faisal has been added to the travelling squad following the former's withdrawal.

Marmoush is likely to start after coming on as a substitute in the first half last time out, while Zizo is also pushing for a place in the starting lineup after replacing Salah against Angola.

Mohamed Abdelmonem will also miss out after medical advice from Nice raised concerns about the demands of playing on an artificial surface following his previous ACL injury.

On a positive note, Marwan Attia is available again after serving his suspension and could replace Mahmoud Saber, who was withdrawn in the first half against Angola.

South Sudan are led by new head coach Nsengi-Biembe, who could keep the majority of the side that produced a spirited display in Malawi, with Dhata hoping to cause problems from the right wing after scoring last time out.

Valentino Kuach Yuel, Keer Majak, Joseph Malish and Jackson Dwang are also pushing for starts after coming off the bench in the previous outing.

South Sudan possible starting lineup:

Mawith; Atendele, Angier, Laku, Bakosoro; Dhata, Chan, Jawa, Gama; Iluya, Albano

Egypt possible starting lineup:

Shobeir; Hany, Abdelmaguid, Rabia, Aboul-Fetouh; Attia, Lasheen; Zizo, Ashour, Haissem Hassan; Marmoush

We say: South Sudan 0-2 Egypt

Egypt's struggle in front of goal last week could make this more awkward than the ranking gap suggests, but the Pharaohs should have enough experience and quality to eventually find a way past South Sudan and collect their first three points of the qualifying campaign.

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