The Egyptian national team will host its Senegalese counterpart this Friday evening in Cairo, with a sold-out crowd expected, in the first leg of the decisive round of the African qualifiers for the World Cup. The team aims to score against the impressive goalkeeper of the visitors, Edouard Mendy. The return match will take place on Tuesday in Dakar, with the winner of the two-legged tie qualifying directly for the World Cup finals in Qatar at the end of this year.
In this rematch, which occurs for the second time this year, the expectations for the Pharaohs against Senegal differ, reflecting the desire of Portuguese head coach Carlos Queiroz and his players to secure a victory to take a crucial step toward Qatar. The two teams met in Cameroon weeks ago in the Africa Cup of Nations final, which ended in a goalless draw, with the "Lions of Teranga" winning on penalties. However, avoiding another goalless scenario seems to be the worst-case outcome that the "Pharaohs" are trying to evade, at least in the Cairo match.
Ahmed El-Kass, a former star of Egyptian football, said in an interview with Sky News Arabia that Queiroz has a clearer understanding due to closely working with the players over the past months, wishing for an ideal approach to the match. El-Kass, who had a notable presence with the national team in the 1990 World Cup, stated: "For me, I will not disagree with Queiroz on the goalkeeper and defense; Mohamed El-Shenawy as goalkeeper, with the quartet Omar Kamal, Mohamed Abdel-Moneim, Mahmoud Hamdi (El-Wensh), and Ahmed Fattouh in defense."
He continued: "My disagreement will be in the midfield; I do not want to see three defensive midfielders against Senegal. Queiroz might field Amr El-Soliah, Mohamed El-Nenny, and Hamdi Fathy, but I prefer to have Ahmed Sayed (Zizo) as one of the three midfielders to provide greater offensive strength."
Regarding the Pharaohs' attacking setup, El-Kass mentioned: "Queiroz will not change the trio that participated in the Africa Cup of Nations; Mohamed Salah will play alongside Mustafa Mohamed and Omar Marmoush in attack."
The Senegalese national team boasts a roster filled with star players from Europe, most notably Mendy, the Chelsea goalkeeper, Kalidou Koulibaly, the Napoli defender, Sadio Mane of Liverpool, and the Paris Saint-Germain duo of Abdou Diallo and Idrissa Gueye.
However, El-Kass believes that Egypt has strong chances against Senegal, despite the impressive elements included in the "Lions of Teranga" lineup. He stated: "The Senegal team consists entirely of players from Europe, playing in the biggest leagues and clubs globally, but that doesn't mean Egypt lacks opportunities."
The former Olympic and Zamalek player added: "Nothing is impossible in football; the Egyptian team has previously proven that its local players could outperform the African stars playing in Europe."
He concluded: "Senegal has the best goalkeeper in the world and boasts a very tough defensive duo with Koulibaly and Diallo, but the Egyptian team should not focus on the names and stature of Senegal’s players and must exploit the crowd support to achieve victory and qualify for the World Cup."
