Pharaohs target first Afcon win against the Leopards
Egypt will be hoping to qualify for the quarterfinals of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) when they play against DR Congo in their Round of 16 tie at the Stade Laurent Pokou on Sunday evening.
Kick-off is at 10.00 pm CAT.
CURRENT FORM
The Pharaohs have drawn all three of their Afcon group stage matches with a scoreline of 2-2 against Mozambique, Ghana and Cape Verde. The team will be looking to register their first victory in the tournament in order to make it to the next round.
The Leopards had a similar start to the Afcon as their opponents and drew all three of their group stage matches. They played to 1-1 draws against Zambia and Morocco. In their final group stage match, they played to a goalless draw against Tanzania.
TEAM NEWS
Along with Mohamed Salah, Egyptian midfielder Emam Ashour was ruled out of this match on Wednesday due to a concussion sustained while attempting an overhead kick in training.
Mohamed El-Shennawy, the Pharaohs' custodian, has also been sidelined after suffering an injury in the dramatic group finale against Cape Verde.
Mohamed Abou Gabal came on as a substitute and should start in this crucial match, with Mostafa Mohamed and Trezeguet possibly returning following his goal as a substitute in the previous game.
WHAT WAS SAID?
Egypt manager Rui Vittoria expressed dissatisfaction with the way Liverpool has publicly addressed Mohamed Salah's injury situation as the forward returned to Anfield.
“We didn’t want to alarm anyone. I didn’t think it was right for Liverpool, via any intermediary, to speak about this, because we had a tremendously important game. Salah has always been with us. We will find the best solution for the treatment of the player,” he said.
DR Congo head coach Sébastien
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