African Cup of Nations 2023 qualifying continues this week for Guinea and Egypt in Group D. Wednesday’s match in Marrakesh will feature Group D’s top two teams.
Egypt lead the group thanks to goal difference. The Pharaohs took nine points from their opening four games, scoring seven goals and conceding twice. Egypt are the all-time winningest team in Africa Cup of Nations history, with seven wins. The Egyptians lost the previous tournament on penalties to Senegal.
Guinea’s best performance at the Africa Cup of Nations was in 1976. The team finished second that year. Since then, Guinea’s best finish was a quarterfinal appearance in 2015. The National Elephants reached the round of 16 in the 2021 edition of the tournament.
Egypt claimed a 1-0 win over Guinea in the reverse Group D fixture in Cairo. That game was played over a year ago and a lot has changed for both national teams. Mostafa Mohamed scored the game’s only goal, as Egypt scored in the 87th minute to win.
Along with Guinea and Egypt in Group D are Malawi and Ethiopia. As it stands, Guinea and Egypt will go through to the next phase of the tournament. Both national teams are in the qualification places for next year’s Africa Cup of Nations.
Egypt go into the game on a five-match winning streak. Their wins came against Niger, Liberia, Belgium, and Malawi twice. The win over Belgium was a shock, as the Belgians prepared for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Guinea won their last two games, defeating Ethiopia 2-0 and 3-2 in back-to-back fixtures. The National Elephants struggled in matches against stronger African national teams, including the Ivory Coast and Algeria.
In September 2022, Guinea fell to both African rivals by a combined 4-1 score.
Coach Gaby Diawara has called up former Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita once more. Now signed to Germany’s Werder Bremen, Keita is coming off a terrible season in England. He will be joined by Valencia’s Ilaix Moriba and Anderlecht’s Amadou Diawara as possible midfield selections.
Goalscoring could be a problem for Guinea. The team’s group of forwards has a combined total of 13 goals.
Egypt forward Mohamed Salah should start on the right side of the attack. Salah has 51 international goals in 89 appearances. Mostafa Mohamed has played well in recent international appearances. He scored in four of Egypt’s last eight matches.
Guinea and Egypt simply need to pick up a point on Wednesday to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations. The teams should draw 1-1 in Marrakesh, as they achieve progress to next year’s tournament.