AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS
SUNDAY, GROUP A
Uganda vs Egypt
Zimbabwe vs DR Congo
The Cranes, in many people’s eyes, are through to the round -of-16 stage at the
2019 Africa Cup of Nations having collected four points from their opening two games.
The reality however is that the Cranes still need at least one point from their final group game against hosts Egypt, to avoid any other permutations if they are to extend their stay at the tournament.
The two nations meet on Sunday with Egypt already guaranteed qualification after defeating Zimbabwe and Democratic Republic of Congo from their opening two games.
This could further ease the Cranes’ task with Egyptian coach Javier Aguirre expected to rest some of his first team players including Mohamed Salah, Ahmed Elmohamady and Mahmoud Trezeguet among others.
Uganda coach Sebastien Desabre also expressed concern about his team’s performance as they held on for a 1-1 draw against Zimbabwe and could make some changes particularly in defense and midfield.
“It was a difficult game for us. We scored first and after we accepted the pressure of the game,” he noted after the Zimbabwe game.
Both Khalid Aucho and Mike Azira were not at their best with the latter taken off after an hour for the more aggressive Taddeo Lwanga.
The backline, deprived of Murushid JJuuko also underperformed with Ronald Mukiibi and Bevis Mugabi looking particularly shaky.
“Obviously it’s tough when you play with new players it takes time to make everything work because this was our first competitive game together,” Mukiibi observed.
Upfront, the Cranes will again likely depend on the pace and trickery of Abdu Lumala to create chances while Emma Okwi has been the biggest source of goals with two in as many matches.
Faruku Miya should similarly be at his best with his set piece deliveries sure to cause concern for many a team at the finals.
“The competition is a little bit tough but we take it game by game. Every team comes with its own challenges the more we fight the more win the more we get confidence going forward,” captain and goalkeeper Denis Onyango stated after the Zimbabwe game.
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