The African Cup qualifiers are back again after a long hiatus .. Salah leads Egypt against Togo

The 2021 African Nations Cup qualifiers for football are back in motion after a one-year hiatus due to the outbreak of the new Corona virus, so that the third and fourth round matches will be held between Wednesday and next Tuesday behind closed doors.

The Confederation (CAF) announced last Friday that all qualifying matches will be held behind closed doors due to Corona, "unless the host federation government wants the masses to attend" with the approval of the Confederation.

The rules issued by the organizing committee stated that every match must be played if the team has at least eleven players (including a goalkeeper) and four substitutes.

She added that if the team is unable to travel to the host country or the venue of the match due to any travel restrictions or other restrictions related to the Corona virus, and if the team does not have the minimum number of players required, the team in question will be considered losing the match with a score of 0 -2.

And qualifies for the continental tournament hosted by Cameroon, and has been postponed from early 2021 to January 2022, the champion and runner-up of the 12 groups.

Cameroon, the five-time African champion, qualified automatically from Group E, being the host country.

After a humble start that saw it draw twice with its host Kenya (1-1) and Comoros negatively, Egypt, the record holder with the number of titles (7), is looking for its first victory when Togo meets first at Cairo International Stadium on Saturday, then three days later in Lomé in Group G .

Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah returned to coach Hossam El-Badry's squad, with the professionals abroad.

Egypt ranks third, with two points, behind Comoros (4) and Kenya (two points), while Togo is trailing the ranking with one point.

Algeria with Zimbabwe

Algeria, the defending champion, and the star of its attack, Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City, England), are looking for a victory in one of the two Group E cards, in two confrontations with Zimbabwe (4 points) Thursday at the July 5, 1962 stadium in Algiers, and then four days later at the National Stadium in Harare.

Coach Jamal Belmadi's men have won the full mark so far, with two victories over Zambia 5-0 and then in Botswana 1-0.

Belmadi made some changes to the list that fought two friendlies against Nigeria (1-0) and Mexico (2-2) last month, so the trio Youssef Attal, Jamal Balamari, Adam and Nass returned, while striker Karim Al Araibi, who recently joined NEM, France for the first time.

Tunisia to consolidate the lead

Tunisia, the 2004 champion, is seeking to achieve a third successive victory in Group Ten, after overcoming Libya 4-1 and then hosting Equatorial Guinea 1-0, when they met Tanzania twice, starting from Friday.

The "Carthage Eagles" lead with six points, compared to 3 for each of Tanzania and Libya, which meets with the last Equatorial Guinea without points, Tuesday at Al Salam Stadium in Cairo and then four days later in Malabo.

The "Knights of the Mediterranean" list, announced by coach Ali Al-Marjini, witnessed the presence of 15 professional players, including striker Mohamed Palmr (English Aldershot) who joined the national team for the first time, and Sporting Braga player Moatassem Al-Misrati, while Ahmed Bin Ali, the Italian Crotone player, suffered an ankle sprain.

Morocco and Mauritania partner

in Group E, Morocco is looking to break the four-point partnership with Mauritania when it meets the Central African Republic in two installments.

The "Atlas Lions" kicked off the qualifiers with a goalless draw with Mauritania, followed by a 3-0 victory over Burundi, while Central Africa has three points from a victory over Burundi.

Seville striker Mounir El Haddadi will not be able to participate with Morocco, after the Arbitration Court of Sport rejected his petition due to his participation in three matches with the Spanish national team under 21 years.

But the Bosnian coach Waheed Khalilodzic relies on the English Chelsea playmaker Hakim Ziyech, in addition to the two Seville stars, goalkeeper Yassin Bono, striker Yusef Al-Nusiri and Inter Italian multi-role player Ashraf Hakimi, who has recovered from the Corona virus.

For its part, Mauritania, which participated in the last finals, made a good start, collecting four points from two matches.

A difficult test for Sudan against Ghana

The Sudanese team finds itself in a very difficult confrontation in Group A with Ghana, as the "Three Stars" will meet in two games in a row.

While the chances seem greater in the rest of the groups, for Senegal, the last runner-up (the ninth), and Nigeria (the twelfth), while Ivory Coast (eleventh) hopes to make up for its recent fall in front of Ethiopia.

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