Queiroz chose 19 players from the local league and 6 professionals from abroad
The “Pharaohs” are waiting for the “African version” of Mohamed Salah in “Cameroon”
From a training session for the Egyptian national team in Cairo before traveling to Cameroon.
À AFP
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The Egyptian national football team is counting on its star Mohamed Salah, who is remarkably brilliant with his Liverpool team this season, to regain his glory in the African Nations Cup finals in Cameroon, starting from his first match in Group D against Nigeria, next Tuesday. Salah is the top scorer in the English Premier League so far this season, with 16 goals, including his second goal against his former team Chelsea 2-2, Sunday, in the local league in his last match before traveling to Cameroon. The "Pharaohs" holds the record for the number of titles in the continental championship with seven titles, the last of which was in 2010 in Angola, when they won the third title in a row (2006 in Egypt and 2008 in Ghana).
Egypt has been absent from the podiums since that time until 2017, when it reached the final match, and lost to Cameroon 1-2, before exiting empty-handed from the final price round in the last edition at its home by South Africa. Despite its continental glory, Egypt won only twice in seven confrontations with Nigeria, crowned with three titles, before their expected confrontation next Tuesday. Egypt is playing the finals under the leadership of its Portuguese coach, Carlos Queiroz, who invited Aston Villa striker Mahmoud Hassan "Trezeguet", who has just returned from an injury that kept him out of action since mid-April. Trezeguet, 27, has not played a full match since his return early last month. He sat on the bench for three matches without being called upon, before coach Steven Gerrard pushed him in the 80th minute of the match against Brentford on Sunday.
"Trezeguet is an experienced and good player," said the former Real Madrid coach and Manchester United assistant coach twice, adding, "I am sure he will be a mainstay for us."
Unlike most teams heading to Cameroon, Egypt will, as usual, rely heavily on local stars, as Queiroz chose 19 players from the local league, with only six professionals abroad, including Salah and Arsenal midfielder Mohamed Elneny.
As for the other teams in Group D, Nigeria suffers due to the absence of prominent stars, including Emmanuel Denis, and the withdrawal of many of the main players due to the “Covid-19” virus and injuries, including Napoli star Victor Osimhen.
As for Guinea-Bissau, it will bet on strikers Piketty and Frederic Mendy, who played in the 2017 and 2019 editions, as well as Porto's full-back Nano, and Reims midfielder Moreto Cassama.
On the other hand, Sudan, which won the title once in 1970, returns to the continental wedding after an absence of 10 years.
The "Jedian Falcons" team reached the quarter-finals of 2012, but it is difficult to imagine that he will repeat this achievement under the leadership of his new local coach, Burhan Tia, the successor to the French Hubert Velud, who was dismissed from his post after the disappointing exit from the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.
• Egypt holds the record for the number of continental titles with 7, the last of which was in 2010.
• Sons of the Nile inaugurates the championship with an early clash with Nigeria in Group D.
Mohamed Salah: We will fight to get the cup back
The captain of the Egyptian national football team, Mohamed Salah, confirmed that his country aims to achieve positive results in the African Nations Cup, which begins in Cameroon next Sunday.
"Our goal is to achieve positive results and make the Egyptian people happy," he said in press statements, during a meeting with the Egyptian Minister of Youth and Sports, Ashraf Sobhi.
Salah had posted on his page on "Instagram" a picture of him in the Egyptian team shirt, and commented on it, "The road is not easy... but we will fight to restore the cup.
We ask you to support us.”
Algeria prepares for Africa Cup of Nations with a treble in Ghana
The Algerian national team issued an early warning to all its rivals before participating in the African Cup of Nations, after winning a big 3-0 victory over its Ghanaian counterpart in the friendly match that took place between them in the Qatari capital, Doha, the day before yesterday, as part of the two teams’ preparations to participate in the continental championship.
The Algeria trio was scored by Adam Ounas, Jonathan Mensah (with friendly fire), and Islam Slimani.
Algeria, which is seeking to win the tournament for the third time, after winning it in 1990 and 2019, also plays in Group E with Sierra Leone, Cote d'Ivoire and Equatorial Guinea.
The Algerian national team will start its campaign against Sierra Leone next Tuesday.
Gabon players end the travel crisis to Cameroon... Aubameyang's infection with "Corona"
Gabonese media reported that the Gabon players' refusal to travel to Cameroon ended after an agreement between the players and the Gabonese federation regarding their obtaining a grant to run for the African Cup finals.
The agreement stipulates that the players receive the grant before their first match in the tournament, and they will be facing Comoros, next Monday, in Group C, along with Morocco and Ivory Coast.
The players threatened that they would not compete if their conditions were not adhered to.
The Gabonese Federation confirmed in a press statement yesterday that the captain of the Gabonese national team and Arsenal star Pierre Aubameyang had contracted the Corona virus, which will force him to be absent for at least the first match.
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