Overview
Senegal, currently ranked second in Africa, only after host Morocco, aims to reach the AFCON final for the third time in the last four rounds to aim to regain the number one position on the continent.
Signals from the beginning of the tournament show that Pape Thiaw's team is going in the right direction. The former champion closed the group stage with an impressive record - 2 wins and 1 draw.
Entering the knockout round, Senegal continued to show their bravery when they defeated Sudan 3-1 in the round of 16, before defeating Mali 1-0 in the quarter-finals. The achievement of 11 goals after 5 matches reflects a formidable attacking power, helping them become a very difficult team to stop on the journey to conquer the second star.
Besides, the defense is also worthy of recognition when Senegal kept a clean sheet in 3/5 recent matches and only conceded 2 goals.
In head-to-head matches, the "Teranga Lions" have had positive results against Egypt recently, winning 3/5 of their most recent encounters.
In the opposite direction, Egypt coach Hossam Hassan's concern lies in attacking efficiency when facing Senegal. His team has only scored 1 goal in the last 5 encounters. However, Egypt - a team rich in achievements with 7 AFCON championships - also has a group stage similar to Senegal (2 wins, 1 draw), but their way of winning leaves many questions.
Egypt needed a goal in injury time to defeat Zimbabwe in the opening match. The victory against South Africa came from a penalty, and they also drew 0-0 with Angola. In the round of 16, Egypt had to spend extra time to overcome Benin. In the quarter-finals, they almost lost the advantage to Ivory Coast despite leading 3-1, before closing the match with a score of 3-2.
Overall, Egypt still has bravery and experience, but their squad reveals certain weaknesses. And those are the gaps that Senegal can completely exploit.
Personnel situation
Senagal is likely to have full force, and that is what coach Pape Thiaw wanted before this semi-final match.
Senegal will certainly rely on the leadership role of captain Sadio Mane, who has had 3 assists since the beginning of the tournament. In attack, Senegal possesses many scoring options, including Iliman Ndiaye (Everton) who just scored the only goal in the most recent match. In the opposite direction, Nicolas Jackson will have to compete for a starting spot after being on the bench in 2/3 of the recent matches.
The midfield is also an important support. Pape Gueye's double against Sudan paved the way for the "Lions" to advance to the quarterfinals. In the upcoming match, this midfielder is expected to continue to play a key role in regulating the tempo and organizing the playing style for Senegal.
On the Egyptian side, it is not difficult to identify the focus of all expectations - Mohamed Salah. The Liverpool star will have the opportunity to face his old teammate Mane in the upcoming match.
Salah is pursuing the top scorer title with 4 goals after 5 matches, and is also facing the opportunity to reach a historical milestone. With just 1 more goal, he will become the highest scorer of all time in Egypt at the AFCONs, equaling the record with Hassan El-Shazly.
In defense, Mohamed Hamdi is definitely absent due to a knee injury sustained in the first half of the match against Benin. This opens up opportunities for Ahmed Fatouh. However, after the own goal situation, he needs to maintain maximum concentration to avoid further mistakes.
On the attacking front, after Omar Marmoush scored his second goal of the tournament against Ivory Coast, attention will be focused on the Manchester City striker in the role of spearhead leading the attack. However, the challenge for Marmoush is not small when facing a tightly organized and disciplined defense system.
Expected lineup:
Mendy, Diatta, Koulibaly, Niakhate, Diouf, Diarra, I. Gueye, P.Gueye, Ndiaye, Jackson, Mane
El Shenawy, Hany, Ibrahim, Rabia, Fatouh, Attia, Fathi, Adel, Salah, Marmoush, Trezeguet.
The match between Senegal and Egypt takes place at 0:00 AM on January 15 (Vietnam time).
