The seven-time African champions need nothing less than a win to get their 2012 African Cup of Nations campaign back on track when they host South Africa in a crunch Group G match in Cairo.
Hassan Shehata and his charges go into this match knowing that it is more than just three points at stake, as they could be eliminated in the qualifying stages of the competition they have won the last three editions of. Should the Pharaohs, who are currently bottom of the group with one point, manage to beat the high flying Bafana Bafana, their campaign will be resurrected with two more games still to play.
With this in mind, the Egyptian mentor admitted to the media that the games against South Africa will make or break their qualifying campaign.
“The first match against South Africa and the one coming up will be the decider of who goes to Gabon next year. We were not prepared as well as we should have been for the first game. The revolution made it hard for the players to arrive in their best condition, but we hope we will win this one,” he said at a press conference.
Already the north Africans have lost the first in Johannesburg and the second one in Cairo is immensely crucial if they want to defend their title next year. Niger’s game against Sierra Leone on Saturday in Freetown could well add pressure on the Pharaohs going into their game on Sunday.
Should Niger defeat Sierra Leone and the Pharaohs fail to beat Bafana Bafana, the defending champions will mathematically be ruled out of qualifying for Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.
This will be Egypt’s first competitive home match against South Africa. The two national teams have played each other twice in international friendlies in Cairo. The first, in November 2003, saw the North Africans win 2-1. The second was a warm-up game prior to the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations, which Bafana won 2-1. However, Egypt went on to win the tournament, while SA were eliminated in the group phase.
A test of character awaits Bafana
South Africa’s visit to Cairo will definitely bring fond memories for midfield maestro Siphiwe Tshabalala, who made his debut for the national team five years ago coming on as a substitute for Lebogang Mokoena in the 61st minute.
Bafana Bafana defeated the hosts 2-1 in that friendly international match to prepare for the 2006 African Cup of Nations tournament, but this will be a different ball game all together, as three points are at stake and Egypt are facing early elimination.
This time Tshabalala will be in the starting eleven and might be donning the captain’s armband should Steven Pienaar fail a fitness test after suffering a knock in training. ‘Shabba’ was part of the Bafana team that made history by beating Egypt 1-0 in the first leg in March this year and his combination with Pienaar was magical on that night.
“It’s good to be back in the team once again, there is always the pride of playing for your country. This match means a lot to me as I will be returning to the place where I made my debut. Back then I was a youngster and I have grown in confidence and experience, and I am a lot wiser now. Even though I have travelled a lot with the national team, this will still be a different experience for me,” said Tshabalala to reporters.
Bafana are at the summit of Group G and the recent Fifa rankings that saw them propel to fourth position on the continent just behind third placed Egypt will definitely go a long way in boosting their confidence ahead of this titanic encounter. Pitso Mosimane’s boys will be looking to complete a double on a team that has no doubt dominated the continent, winning seven titles to be crowned Africa’s best.
TEAM NEWS
Egypt
Sometimes a win is all that is needed to pick up the chips that are down, and Mohamed Zidan, who just won a championship winners medal with Borussia Dortmund in Germany could well be the remedy for the ailing Pharaohs. Most of Egypt’s tried and tested players such as Ahmed Fathi, Wael Goma and Mohamed Nagy ‘Geddo’ are present, and they will have to open their archives of experience as it will be useful in this crunch encounter.
Probable Starting XI:
Essam Al Hadary; Wael Gomaa, Mahmoud Fathallah, Hani Said; Ahmed Elmohamady, Sayed Moawad, Hosni Abd Rabou, Hossam Ghaly, Ahmed Hassan; Shikabala, Mohamed Nagy ‘Geddo’.
South Africa
Injuries have robbed Bafana of some of their experienced stars that could well have been the difference in such a big game. Thanduyise Khuboni, who had a sterling game against Egypt in the first leg at Ellis Park Satdium in Johannesburg, will not feature in the game and Andile Jali or Reneilwe Letsholonyane will be his replacement. The injury to skipper Steven Pienaar is another major worry for coach Mosimane, but Schillo will have a late fitness test to determine whether he is fit to play or not. Bongani Khumalo is out with an injury, and his strength at the back will be missed.
Probable Starting XI:
Itumeleng Khune; Anele Ngcongca, Tsepo Masilela, Morgan Gould, Bevan Fransman; Andile Jali, Kagisho Dikgacoi, Siphiwe Tshabalal, Steven Pienaar; Katlego Mphela, Bernard Parker.
PREDICTION
This will be a make or break encounter for the north Africans, and they will definitely be going all out with the home crowd also expected to fill up the Military Stadium, but Bafana have proved that they are no pushovers. Sparks will definitely fly, but at the end of the day pressure on both sides could see them playing to a stalemate.
Egypt 1-1 South Africa
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