AFCON 2017 Group D - Egypt vs Ghana
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It simply doesn’t get any bigger than this - the all-time kings of the continent are back after a 6-year absence, and on matchday 3, they go up against their would-be usurpers. It will definitely be a feisty one, because both teams are favourites to go through to the last-16.
The history is amazing - these two countries have 11 African titles between them, (Egypt 7, Ghana 4), and they have faced each other in a couple of finals before. Ghana finished second to Ivory Coast by virtue of a single penalty - so near, yet so far. Egypt have not been stable enough to let their stars come back into the action. They are now.
Both teams will not leave anything on the pitch, and the odds of the champion coming from this tie are very high. This will be the do-or-die match of the group stage.
Date: 25th January 2017Time: 12:30am (IST)Venue: Stade de Port-Gentil, Port-Gentil
Egypt Team Preview
Egypt’s last appearance was the triumphant 2010 campaign in Angola, claiming an unprecedented hat-trick of African titles. However, due to the aftermath of the Arab Spring, they have not been able to field a team that could make it all the way here again. Until now.
They stormed through the qualification phase, only drawing one match (with Nigeria), scoring 12 goals and only conceding 2 to top their group. Now, they’ll be looking to bring back the form that saw them romp to three consecutive titles as one of the best teams in international football history.
Provisional Squad
Goalkeepers: Ahmed El-Shennawy, Essam El-Hadary, Sherif Ekramy, Mohamed Awad.
Defenders: Ahmed Fathi, Ahmed Elmohamady, Mohamed Abdel-Shafy, Karim Hafez, Hamada Tolba, Ahmed Hegazy, Saad Samir, Ahmed Dweidar, Ali Gabr, Omar Gaber.
Midfielders: Mohamed Elneny, Tarek Hamed, Ibrahim Salah, Abdallah El-Said, Amr Warda, Ramadan Sobhi, Mohamed Ibrahim, Mahmoud Hassan ‘Trezeguet’.
Forwards: Ahmed Hassan ‘Koka’, Ahmed Gomaa, Marwan Mohsen, Mahmoud Abdel-Moneim ‘Kahraba’, Mohamed Salah.
Ghana Team Preview
Ghana lost a heart-breaking penalty shoot-out against the Ivory Coast last time around in the Equatorial Guinea, after a heavily fought 0-0 draw. Despite not having won the trophy for almost 35 years, their sheer talent and experience always makes them favourites.
The Black Stars were equally impressive at the group stage, putting 7 past Mauritius in the curtain-raiser. Then, they edged past Rwanda and beat Mozambique at home before a 0-0 draw in the away fixture. With 14 goals scored and just 3 conceded, Ghana look a fearsome prospect, and the hurt from losing it last time around will be egging them on.
Provisional Squad
Goalkeepers: Razak Braimah, Adam Kwarasey, Richard Ofori
Defenders: Harrison Afful, Andy Yiadom, Baba Rahman, Frank Acheampong, John Boye, Jonathan Mensah, Daniel Amartey, Edwin Gyimah
Midfielders: Andre Ayew, Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu, Afriyie Acquah, Thomas Partey Mubarak Wakaso, Christian Atsu, Ebenezer Ofori, Joseph Larweh Attamah
Forwards: Asamoah Gyan, Jordan Ayew, Abdul-Majeed Waris, Ebenezer Assifuah, Bernard Tekpetey, Rahpael Dwamena, Samuel Tetteh
