The Egyptian national team received a "huge boost" with the arrival of its star, Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah, in Libreville to face off against Gabon in a challenging match in the second round of Group 6. Meanwhile, Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia are preparing for risky outings in the second round of the African qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Salah (29 years old) returns to lead the Pharaohs after missing the first match against Angola, which took place on Wednesday in Cairo, where Egypt struggled to win 1-0 from a penalty by Mohamed Magdy "Afsha." His absence was due to COVID-19 quarantine restrictions imposed by Britain on arrivals from red list countries, including Egypt. Salah shared a photo of himself in the national team shirt on his social media pages early Saturday, captioning it, "10 years and still counting," referring to the time he has spent with the Egyptian national team so far.
This match is of great importance for the Egyptian team against Gabon, a key rival for the group ticket to the decisive round. A win on Sunday would significantly enhance Egypt's chances, especially since Gabon lost their first match against Libya 1-2. Egypt's coach, Hossam El Badri, is expected to make some changes to the starting lineup after the players' lackluster performance in the Angola match. He is likely to bring in Galatasaray striker Mustafa Mohamed, who also missed the first match due to his involvement in a failed last-minute loan transfer to Bordeaux.
El Badri stated, "We are only looking for victory in the match against Gabon. We have watched their match against Libya in the first round and noted their strengths and weaknesses," pointing out that "the opponent has some distinguished players and is looking to recover from their opening match loss, so the confrontation will be tough. However, I trust in the abilities of the Egyptian players to overcome this second hurdle in the qualifiers."
On the other hand, Gabon's French coach, Patrice Neveu, confirmed that his team can compete for the qualification spot and compensate for their loss to Libya, stating, "We are capable of winning against the Pharaohs." Neveu, who knows Egyptian football well from coaching Ismaily and Smouha previously, said, "Indeed, we have a tough match ahead, but we have professional players experienced in handling big matches led by Arsenal striker and captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang."
Regarding Salah's participation in the upcoming match, Neveu said, "Salah is an important player for the Pharaohs as he has been the national team's top scorer recently and makes a difference, but we have Aubameyang, who is also a key player and top scorer for Arsenal."
In the same group, Libya will visit Angola, buoyed by a last-minute win over Gabon in their first round, turning a deficit into a valuable 2-1 victory.
The Arab teams face tough challenges on foreign grounds, especially Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia, with Algeria visiting Burkina Faso in Morocco, Morocco playing Guinea in Conakry, and Tunisia facing Zambia in Lusaka. Algeria struck hard in the first round with an impressive 8-0 win over Djibouti in Group A, with half of the goals attributed to striker Islam Slimani. Algeria maintained their unbeaten streak for the 28th consecutive match, a record previously held by Ivory Coast with 26 matches without defeat between 2011 and 2013.
Algerian coach Djamel Belmadi warned about Burkina Faso, saying, "We started the qualifiers with a positive result, and that is what we always strive for. We will begin preparations for the upcoming match against Burkina Faso, which will be difficult," adding that he aims for victory regardless of the opponent's name. Burkina Faso enters the match with high spirits after a significant 2-0 win over Niger, having chosen Morocco as a venue for their home game against Algeria due to their stadiums not meeting FIFA's regulations.
In Group 9, the Moroccan national team hopes to achieve their second consecutive win after their first victory over Sudan (2-0) when they visit a struggling Guinea team that drew 1-1 with Guinea-Bissau. The "Atlas Lions" did not struggle to defeat Sudan, but did not provide a performance that reassured their fans, as confirmed by their coach, Vahid Halilhodžić.
He stated, "It was the first match in the second round of the qualifiers and the first victory; this is important. Unfortunately, we did not capitalize well on the opportunities we had, but we carried out good technical plays." Halilhodžić, who excluded Chelsea star Hakim Ziyech for disciplinary reasons, added, "We will prepare calmly for the next match, which will undoubtedly be a different confrontation against a team that relies on physical play, but we have the capabilities to face all challenges."
In the same group, Sudan seeks to recover from their setback against Morocco by hosting Guinea-Bissau, hoping to correct their course before it's too late.
Tunisia's situation mirrors that of its neighboring teams Algeria and Morocco as they visit Zambia, who recently won a valuable match against Mauritania (2-1) in Nouakchott within Group 2. Tunisia achieved a significant victory over Equatorial Guinea (3-0), but it did not reflect the match's proceedings and the struggles of "The Eagles of Carthage." Coach Mondher Kbaier remarked, "In the first half, the team did not showcase its true capabilities, and it was a forgettable half," adding, "In the second half, we appeared differently, allowing us to dominate the match, scoring 3 goals, and we could have scored a fifth but missed at least 3 clear chances."
Mauritania will need to win against Equatorial Guinea to keep their hopes alive for competing for a group spot. The second round features two hot matches: the first in Group 4 between Ivory Coast and Cameroon, and the second in Group 7 between South Africa and Ghana.
