Preview : Egypt vs Sudan - Africa Cup of Nations - Round 3

Egypt vs Sudan

SCHEDULE	TIME
GAME	Egypt vs Sudan
DATE	19/01/2022
TIME	14:00 PM (UTC)
VENUE	Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo
LEAGUE	Africa Cup of Nations - Round 3

TV Channel Info

More Information

Streaming starts 5 minutes before kick off

Preview

◉ The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) seems to be picking up in terms of excitement, after an overall return of 2.42 total goals per game was seen in round two compared with just 1.0 in the opening round. However, seven-time AFCON champions Egypt haven’t helped that average with two 1-0 encounters so far (W1, L1), though they will guarantee a top-two finish in Group D with at least a draw here.

◉ Following their opening two group clashes, 12 of Egypt’s last 13 AFCON finals matches have now produced under 2.5 total goals, a run which suggests that this could be yet another tight affair despite the 80-place gulf between Egypt and Sudan in the current FIFA world rankings. Failing to score in three internationals prior to their win last time out remains a concern for Egypt though.

◉ After earning one point from their opening two group games, Sudan will be hoping to replicate Equatorial Guinea’s shock win over Algeria in this game as they would actually leapfrog Egypt should they take all three points. Anything other than victory for the ‘Falcons of Jediane’ will see them eliminated, so they must take this game to their opponents in this all-or-nothing clash.

◉ Sudan will begin this game at double-figure odds for a win, largely due to their current shocking run of 13 winless games (D5, L8). The strugglers failed to score in eight of those games (62%), whilst six of the eight defeats eclipsed a -1 handicap, suggesting they could be in for another long evening here!

◉ Players to watch: Egypt were on a run of around 370 minutes without a goal until Mohamed Salah ended that last time out - the Liverpool star has averaged 0.8 goals per Premier League outing this season. Walieldin Khidir is Sudan’s only scorer across the last seven competitive internationals, that strike coming from the penalty spot.

◉ Hot stat: Egypt have scored 2.47 goals on average per match across 17 all-time H2Hs (W13, D2, L2).

Egypt starting lineup:

El-Shennawy; Kamal, Hegazi, Hamdi, Ashraf; Fathi, El-Sulya, Elneny; Mohamed, Marmoush, Salah

Sudan starting lineup:

Abou; Elfadni, Karshoum, Hassan, Mohamedein; Al Rasheed, Khidir; A Omer, Hamed, G Omer, Eisa

Prediction

Egypt 2-0 Sudan

Given that a place in the next round is at stake here, we anticipate a fiery contest with both sides taking the game to each other in search of all three points. However, looking at the clear gulf in quality between the two sides, we anticipate Egypt will come out with the win.