South Africa will look to build on a historic opening victory when they
take on seven-time champions Egypt in a pivotal Africa Cup of Nations Group
B encounter at the Stade Adrar on Friday.
Form & History
Bafana Bafana arrive with momentum, having ended a 21-year wait for a
winning start to an AFCON tournament with their 2-1 victory over Angola.
Goals from Oswin Appollis and Lyle Foster secured the vital three points for
Hugo Broos’s side.
Egypt, meanwhile, demonstrated their trademark resilience in their opener,
overcoming an early deficit to beat Zimbabwe 2-1 with second-half strikes
from Omar Marmoush and talisman Mohamed Salah.
Historically, this fixture has been favorable for South Africa. They are
unbeaten in their last six meetings against the Pharaohs, according to CAF
records, with Egypt’s last win dating back to 2006. The most memorable
recent clash was in the 2019 AFCON round of 16, where Thembinkosi Lorch’s
iconic goal secured a 1-0 win for Bafana in Egypt.
Tactical Set-Up & Lineups
Coach Hugo Broos has named an unchanged starting XI from the side that
defeated Angola, showing faith in the winning formula. This means another
start for the attacking trio of Appollis, Tshepang Moremi, and Lyle Foster.
Egypt’s Portuguese coach, Rui Vitória, fields a formidable attacking lineup
led by captain Mohamed Salah, supported by the in-form Marmoush and the
experienced Mahmoud Hassan ‘Trezeguet’.
What’s at Stake?
A win for South Africa would guarantee early qualification for the knockout
stages and strike a significant psychological blow. For Egypt, securing
three points would not only cement their own progression but also reassert
their dominance over a team that has been a recent thorn in their side.
The match kicks off at 19:00 local time.
Confirmed Lineups:
Egypt: El Shenawy; Hany, Ibrahim, Rabia, Hamdy; Attia, Fathy; Zizo,
Marmoush, Trezeguet; Salah (c).
Subs: Gabal, Abdelmonem, Fatouh, Ashour, Said, Mohamed, Abdelhamed, Koka,
Hegazi, Hamdy, Fathi, El Solia.
South Africa: Williams; Mudau, Ngezana, Mbokazi, Modiba; Mbatha, Mokoena
(c), Sithole; Appollis, Moremi, Foster.
Subs: Chaine, Goss, Smith, Ndamane, Mokwana, Aubaas, Mbule, Kabini,
Campbell, Matuludi, Sibisi, Mofokeng, Makgopa.
