Senegal vs Egypt preview

by Collins Okinyo

The business end of the Africa Cup of Nations is here, with Senegal and Egypt set to lock horns in Tangier on Wednesday, January 14.

Both teams have enjoyed similar results in the tournament, winning four of the five fixtures played, but the way in which they were victorious speaks volumes.

Match preview
Currently ranked second in Africa, just behind the hosts Morocco, Senegal will be aiming to reach their third AFCON final in the last four editions to reclaim the number one spot on the continent.

The signs since the start of the competition have been encouraging, with the one-time champions registering two victories and a draw in their group.

The knockout phase was a breeze for Pape Thiaw’s men, who saw off Sudan 3-1 in the Round-of-16 and then beat Mali 1-0 the last time out in the quarter-final.

Eleven goals in five matches tell the story of an attacking force that will take some stopping in their quest for a second star, but it is also their defensive resilience that needs to be praised, as Senegal have kept three clean sheets in their last five matches, conceding only twice.

The Lions of Teranga enjoy a decent record against the Pharaohs in recent years, winning three of the last five meetings, including their most-recent clash, which dumped Egypt out of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

© Imago / Visionhaus
What will concern Egyptian head coach Hossam Hassan is that his team have only managed to score one goal against Senegal across their previous five meetings.

The seven-time AFCON champions enjoyed a similar group stage to Senegal in that they won two and drew one of their games, but the way in which they won those two matches was concerning.

Egypt needed a stoppage-time strike to bag three points against Zimbabwe in their opener, and a penalty was the difference when they squared up against South Africa, while they shook hands with Angola in a goalless draw.

The Pharaohs needed extra time to see off Benin in the round of 16, and narrowly edged out Cote d’Ivoire 3-2 in the quarter-final, despite cruising at 3-1 at some point during the game.

There are certainly some vulnerabilities within the Egyptian camp that Senegal can exploit.

Senegal Africa Cup of Nations form:

W
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D
W
Senegal form (all competitions):

W
W
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D
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W
Egypt Africa Cup of Nations form:

W
W
D
W
W
Egypt form (all competitions):

W
W
D
W
W
W

Team News

The Lions of Teranga appear to have a fully-fit squad, which is exactly the type of headache that coach Thiaw would fancy.

The West African nation will certainly rely on captain Sadio Mane for inspiration here, as he has registered three assists since the start of the competition, the most for Senegal and second in the overall chart for this AFCON.

Goals have come from several players, including Evertonian Iliman Ndiaye, who netted the only goal the last time out, while Nicolas Jackson will be fighting for a start after being an unused sub in two of the last three matches.

Pape Gueye’s brace against Sudan helped the Lions book a quarter-final spot, but he will be crucial in handling the midfield for Senegal in this fixture.

No prizes for guessing who Egypt’s hopes will rest on this Wednesday – Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, who gets a chance to face his former teammate, Mane.

Salah is in the race for the Golden Boot with four goals from five matches, but he is also eyeing the record of becoming Egypt’s joint all-time top-scorer at AFCON tournaments with one more goal, which he will share with Hassan El-Shazly should he find the back of the net.

Defender Mohamed Hamdi will not be available for selection after injuring his knee in the first half against Benin, which means Ahmed Fatouh should step in, as he did in the quarter-final, but after scoring an own goal, he must have his wits about him.

After Omar Marmoush scored his second goal of the tournament against Cote d’Ivoire, all eyes will be on the Manchester City forward to lead the line against a well-drilled Senegalese defence.

Senegal possible starting lineup:

Mendy; Diatta, Koulibaly, Niakhate, Diouf; Diarra, I.Gueye, P.Gueye; Ndiaye, Jackson, Mane

Egypt possible starting lineup:

El Shenawy; Hany, Ibrahim, Rabia, Fatouh; Attia, Fathi, Adel; Salah, Marmoush, Trezeguet

At the moment, Senegal are operating like a well-oiled machine, while Egypt have struggled to be at their fluent best.

The Lions of Teranga have had the better of the Pharaohs in recent meetings, but the last five head-to-heads were fiercely contested contests.

While they will not run away with it, the West African side look set to book a spot in the AFCON 2025 final.