Queiroz: Sudan will be a difficult opponent

CAIRO-3 December 2021: Carlos Queiroz, Egypt national team head coach, stated that Egypt’s match against Sudan on Saturday will not be an easy fixture for the Pharaohs.

“Sudan will be a difficult opponent. They can hurt us with their quick counter-attacks but we are ready for the game. We have a good chance to play beautiful game and achieve the three points.”  Queiroz said.

Egypt shares the top of the group with Algeria; three points each, as the Pharaohs opened their campaign in the FIFA Arab Cup with a narrow 1-0 win over Lebanon.

The Sudanese side knows that they need to achieve a positive result against Egypt to revive their hopes of reaching the second round after losing against Algeria in their opening game of the competition 4-0.  

The Portuguese head coach added “We created many chances against Lebanon and we could have scored more goals. Lebanon’s goalkeeper had a great game against us.”

Hamdy Fathy, Egypt’s midfielder, will not be available against Sudan after suffering an injury in the head during Lebanon’s match that forced him to leave the pitch in the first half of the game.

Egypt needs the three points to secure a place in the quarter-finals and avoid any unpleasant scenarios in the last group match against Algeria, who will face Lebanon on Saturday.

Qatar hosts FIFA Arab Cup between 30 November and 17 December, with the participation of 16 Arab nations.