Egypt and South Africa are looking to build on wins in their opening fixtures when they square off in their second Group B clash at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Both teams produced similar results last time out and appear evenly matched coming into this match.
It was a fine start to the AFCON for Egypt, who picked up a 2-1 victory over Zimbabwe in their opening fixture. They were forced to come from behind, with second-half goals from Omar Marmoush and Mohamed Salah earning them the win.
The Egyptians’ overall form has been solid lately, and they are unbeaten in six of their last seven matches in all competitions. Hossam Hassan’s men have also won their last two matches, having earned a 2-1 victory over Nigeria in their final warm-up game.
Meanwhile, South Africa picked up a similar result in their opening fixture, claiming a 2-1 victory over Angola. Goals in each half from Oswin Appollis and Lyle Foster earned them all three points.
That result maintains an impressive run for South Africa, who are unbeaten in their last 10 matches in all competitions. Hugo Broos' team have won the last four fixtures on this run.
How the bookies view it: Bookies backing Egypt
Egypt have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at 19/20 by William Hill to claim the win. A victory for South Africa is valued at 10/3 by Betfred, while a draw is set at odds of 9/4 by bet365.
Head to head: South Africa on top
South Africa have a 5-3 advantage, with two draws in the last 10 matches against Egypt. Both teams met in the 2019 AFCON, with the South Africans picking up a 1-0 victory in the round of 16 clash.
Players to watch: Eyes on Salah
Salah appears to have put his club issues behind him and delivered the winning goal for Egypt in the opening fixture. The forward has four goals in the last five international matches and will be the one to watch (Mohamed Salah anytime goalscorer – priced at 6/4 on Betfred).
South Africa also have some attacking quality of their own and will look to Foster, who scored the winner on Monday. The striker could be worth keeping an eye on (Lyle Foster anytime goalscorer – valued at 10/4 by bet365).
Probable line-ups:
Midfielder Emam Ashour was replaced by striker Mostafa Mohamed in the first half in the opening fixture, and Egypt are likely to start with that system on Friday. Marmoush should drop into the attacking midfield role, with Mohamed set to lead the line while Salah is expected to retain his place in attack.
South Africa came away from their opening fixture with no injuries or suspensions and should retain much of the team that started. Foster is likely to lead the line once again, while Mbekezile Mbokazi should continue at the back.
Egypt: El Shenawy, Hany, Ibrahim, Abdelmaguid, Hamdi, Ateya, Fathy, Trezeguet, Marmoush, Salah, Mohamed.
South Africa: Williams, Mudau, Ngezana, Mbokazi, Modiba, Moremi, Mokoena, Sithole, Appollis, Mbule, Foster.
Anything else catch the eye?
Both teams have scored in Egypt’s last two matches (BTTS YES – available at 5/4 on bet365). The Egyptians have scored at least one second-half goal in their last two matches (Egypt second half over 0.5 goals – offered at 5/6 on William Hill).
There have been more goals after the break in two of South Africa's last three matches (Second half highest scoring half – set at odds of 13/10 by William Hill).
Think both sides will find the net? Our BTTS Masterclass explains how to spot the fixtures where goals are a given.
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