The State of Play
Egypt boasts the distinction of having won the Africa Cup of Nations seven times across their proud history. The Pharaohs couldn’t have come any closer to making it eight times just two years ago, but suffered penalty shoot-out heartbreak in the final against Senegal. Fast forward to January 2024 and Liverpool megastar Mohamed Salah leads a hungry Egyptian squad into battle, with the aim of winning his first major international trophy.
Mozambique are competing at their first Africa Cup of Nations since 2010, but have never progressed further than the group stage, a fact which isn’t expected to change when taking into account the difficulty of their group. However, Chiquinho Conde is a shrewd head coach who has breathed new life into this Mozambique side since taking over from Horatio Goncalves back in 2021.
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Team News
Egypt had originally named defender Osama Galal and midfielder Ahmed Nabil Koka as part of their squad for the 2023 AFON, but both have since been forced to pull out through injury. Mohanad Lasheen and Yasser Ibrahim replace the duo, while Omar Marmoush and Mostafa Mohamed are each battling to play alongside Mohamed Salah and ‘Trezeguet’ up top.
After being sidelined for most of 2023 with an ACL injury, key defender Reinildo Mandava made his return to the pitch with club side Atletico Madrid late last year and will no doubt have a big part to play for Mozambique at the back not only in this fixture, but across the tournament.
Expected Line-ups
Egypt: Sobhy; Kamal, Hegazy, Abdelmonem, Fotouh; Elneny, Ashour, Fathi; Salah, Mohamed, Trezeguet
Mozambique: Siluane; Macandza, Mexer, Mandava, Langa; Guima, Nangy; Catamo, Domingues, Clesio; Ratifo
What they Said
Egypt boss Rui Vitoria on his side being seen as one of the favourites to win the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations: “Egypt is part of this group of favourites, we can’t hide it. But Africa is made up of very high-level selections. The continent’s main selections see their players play in the five major world championships. This is a reality,”
Mozambique head coach Chiquinho Conde on the challenge his players face: “I think we can all continue making history. This is another challenge, a patriotic and thorny mission ahead of us and we want to make it with distinction.”
When and How to Watch
The game at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium will kick off at 17:00 on Sunday January 14th and will be shown live on Sky Sports in the UK. Subscribers to Sky Sports can alternately stream the game online via the ‘Sky Go’ app.
Prediction
All eyes will understandably be on Mohamed Salah and the talismanic role that the Egyptian skipper has to play over the course of this game. However, the Pharaohs are not a one-man-team and boast quality across the pitch, which should see them carve out plenty of openings against an inferior Mozambique side. Although Conde’s men won’t make life easy for Egypt, the likes of Salah and Trezeguet represent a class above what they have to offer, so expect a 3-1 win for Rui Vitoria and his team.
