Nigeria, Egypt set for pre-AFCON showdown

Three-time winners Nigeria and seven-time champions Egypt meet at the Cairo Stadium on Tuesday evening (today) in a friendly designed to fine-tune preparations for the 35th Africa Cup of Nations finals, which begin in Morocco on Sunday.

Both sides are expected to use the fixture to assess squad depth ahead of the tournament. Nigeria head coach Eric Chelle has the option of handing minutes to several new faces, including goalkeeper Amas Obasogie, defender Ryan Alebiosu, midfielders Usman Muhammed, Tochukwu Nnadi and Ebenezer Akinsanmiro, as well as forwards Paul Onuachu and Salim Fago Lawal.

Egypt, led by head coach Hossam Hassan, approach the match under the guidance of one of the competition’s most decorated figures. Hassan scored seven goals when Egypt won the 1998 Africa Cup of Nations in Burkina Faso, finishing as joint top scorer alongside South Africa’s Benni McCarthy.

The Pharaohs’ plans for both the friendly and the tournament itself are expected to revolve around Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah, who is still seeking his first Africa Cup of Nations title.

Salah will be supported by a strong cast that includes Manchester City forward Omar Marmoush, Al Ahly trio Mohamed El-Shenawy, Mohamed Hany and Yasser Ibrahim, as well as Emam Ashour and Mahmoud Trezeguet.

CAF Champions League holders Pyramids are represented by Mohamed Hamdy and Mostafa Fathi, while Ibrahim Adel, Mostafa Mohamed of FC Nantes and other established names complete the squad.

Chelle is likely to rely on a core group that includes goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali, defenders Bright Osayi-Samuel, Semi Ajayi, Calvin Bassey and Zaidu Sanusi, midfielders Wilfred Ndidi, Frank Onyeka and Alex Iwobi, and attackers Samuel Chukwueze, Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman.

Kick-off is scheduled for 8pm local time in Egypt, which is 7pm in Nigeria. By Monday night, 23 of the 28 players named in Nigeria’s final squad had arrived in Cairo, with the remaining players expected to arrive before the game today.

After the match, the Super Eagles will depart Cairo on Thursday aboard a chartered flight to Fés, where they will base their Africa Cup of Nations campaign.

Nigeria are chasing a fourth continental title, having previously lifted the trophy in 1980, 1994 and 2013, with the campaign branded NAIJA 4 THE WIN.

Nigeria open their Group C campaign on Tuesday, December 23 against Tanzania’s Taifa Stars, a repeat of the opening fixture of the 1980 finals hosted and won by Nigeria. They will then face Tunisia on Saturday, December 27, before concluding the group stage against Uganda on Tuesday, December 30, with all three matches scheduled for the Complexe Sportif de Fés.

Egypt, the only nation to have won the Africa Cup of Nations three times in succession between 2006 and 2010, are drawn in Group B alongside South Africa, Angola and Zimbabwe, with their matches set to be played at the Stade d’Agadir in Agadir.