Matchday one in Group A of the CAF World Cup qualifiers will see Egypt take on Djibouti at the Cairo International Stadium on Thursday evening.

The hosts come into this match in fine form and will be looking to build up a head of steam as they draw closer to the upcoming African Cup of Nations, which Djibouti failed to qualify for.

Match preview

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Egypt are the fifth-highest-ranked football team on the continent and will kick off their 2026 World Cup qualification campaign off the back of a 1-1 draw against Algeria in a friendly match back in October.

The Pharaohs played the majority of that match with 10 men after Mohamed Hany was shown red inside the first half hour, but they were mere moments away from securing the victory before Islam Slimani's goal cancelled out Hamdi Fathi's opener just before the final whistle.

With that result, the Egyptians maintained their stellar record of just one loss in their last 11 matches in all competitions, which came against Tunisia in mid-August, while they also recorded an impressive nine wins in that time.

Egypt failed to qualify for the last World Cup when they were beaten in a nail-biting third-round clash by Senegal, who came out on top in a penalty shootout after the sides finished 1-1 on aggregate.

Undoubtedly, the hosts will be determined to make amends in the current campaign and have the personnel to get them through, with the likes of Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush raring to go.

Meanwhile, Djibouti saw their African Cup of Nations hopes brought to an end much sooner than they would have liked, as they were beaten in the preliminary round 5-2 on aggregate by South Sudan.

Since then, though, they have experienced a slight upturn in their performances and come into this competition following back-to-back friendly wins over Mauritius and Pakistan in June this year.

However, it is worth noting that those victories were the only ones they have managed in regulation time since June 2021, when they recorded a 1-0 win over Somalia in a friendly encounter.

In addition, their upcoming fixture against the Egyptians comes almost exactly five months after their match against Pakistan, and a lack of adequate preparation does not bode well for their chances against the African powerhouses.

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Salah will once again be expected to be the main man for the hosts, having already notched up over 51 goals for his country in just 93 appearances.

The Egyptians will be without the services of Ahmed Samy due to injury, which will likely mean that Ali Gabr, Mohamed Abdelmonem and Mohamed Hamdy Sharaf will make up the back three.

Having claimed two much-needed victories earlier this year, Mohamed Meraneh Hassan is expected to name a similar side to the one he sent out against Pakistan in their last match.

Samuel Akinbinu and Gabriel Dadzie were both on the scoresheet last time out and should keep their places in attack, while Douleh Mahamoud Elabeh will provide the creativity in midfield.

Egypt possible starting lineup:
El Shenawy; Gabr, Abdelmonem, Sharaf; Zizo, Fathi, Elneny, Ibrahim, Salah, Mohamed, Marmoush

Djibouti possible starting lineup:
Mbonihankuye; Warsama, Farada, Raita, Siad; Hassan, Idle, Elabeh; Fouad, Dadzie, Akinbinu

We say: Egypt 4-0 Djibouti

The Egyptian side possesses genuine quality, with players applying their trade in some of the best leagues across the world. We feel they will be much too strong for this opponent and should run out as comfortable winners in this one.


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