Egypt, Algeria in titanic clash in UAE

by Staff Reporter

Sunday Oct 15, 2023. 13:32

Egypt will take on their North African rivals Algeria in an international friendly match at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in the UAE on Monday.

Kick-off is at 6:00 pm CAT.

The Pharaohs bounced back to winning ways when they claimed a 1-0 win over Zambia in a friendly match on October 12 and it was their second win in their last three matches.

Prior to facing Zambia, Egypt had seen their eight-match unbeaten run come to an end after succumbing to a 1-0 defeat to Tunisia in a friendly game on September 12.

“We were seeking to play with a competitor of this level,” Egypt head coach Rui Vitoria told On Time.

“It will be a difficult match. We will face a very strong team. We will conduct recovery for the players who participated.

“There will be 25 players on the list and we will choose the best of them for the match. An important and complex match,” the Portuguese tactician continued.

“But the most important thing for us is to enter the match and show the character of the Egyptian team, and this will be the general image of the team.”

Meanwhile, Algeria extended their unbeaten run to seven matches when they secured an emphatic 5-1 victory over Cape Verde in a friendly match on October 12.

It was a second consecutive win for Desert Foxes whose current unbeaten run includes two successive draws against Tunisia and Tanzania.

“A beautiful match between Egypt and Algeria. It is almost a North African derby that includes excellent players from both sides,” Algeria head coach Djamel Belmadi said on Ahramonline.

“The Egyptian national team will be complete, unlike their defeat against Tunisia in which Ahly players were not present as they were preparing to face USM Alger. We hope to benefit from that match and continue to improve.

“We tried to face Egypt on four previous occasions for the international agenda, but the match was cancelled for various reasons each time. Finally, it will take place this time.”

This will be the 25th meeting between Egypt and Algeria across all competitions.

The Desert Foxes have the upper hand in this rivalry having won 10 matches compared to the Pharaohs’ seven victories, while seven games ended in a draw.

Their last meeting ended in a 1-1 draw in a 2021 FIFA Arab Cup match played in Qatar on 7 December 2021.