The eyes of African football fans, especially in Egypt and Senegal, are focused today on the anticipated final for the continental cup currently hosted in Cameroon, where the top scorers in the English Premier League, the stars of Liverpool, Egyptian national team captain Mohamed Salah, and his teammate and standout player of the Senegal national team, Sadio Mané, will face off. One of them will play a decisive role in the most exciting rivalry in the history of continental finals.
During the press conference held by the Senegal coaching staff led by former star Aliou Cissé, alongside Senegal's captain Kalidou Koulibaly, the team outlined their intentions and plans to neutralize Mohamed Salah's threat and minimize his impact in the match. Koulibaly stated that he knows Salah well, having played against him many times when Salah was at Roma and Koulibaly at Napoli. He emphasized that Salah is a very influential player who can harm opponents at any moment.
However, he stressed that the best way to confront Salah is through team play, without solely focusing on him, while monitoring him wisely and not neglecting the threat posed by other players. He said, "He is a player capable of making a difference at any moment, and our plan is to deprive him as much as possible of touching the ball. Our strategy is not just 'against Salah,' but to limit his role and reduce his positive influence on his team. Therefore, the best method is to play and collaborate as a team, and not leave spaces for Salah and others."
On the other hand, Cissé mentioned that Salah is an influential player, and most of the Egyptian national team players have the experience to understand all the nuances of African football, making them well-equipped to handle it. He added that the Egyptian team possesses a strong character and has its own philosophy on the field. "Their players know exactly what African football is about, and from our side, we will be very focused, doing what we excel at instead of fully concentrating on what the opponent does."
