In the first match of the day, Egypt and Nigeria will clash up against each other at the Complexo da Senhora da Graca stadium in Benguela.
The game is scheduled to start at 16:00 GMT with the Pharaohs of Egypt playing as the home side.
Later on, the Mambas of Mozambique will come up against the Squirrels of Benin at the same venue but at 18:30 GMT. Next up, we talk about Egypt and Nigeria before analyzing the Mozambique vs Benin match.
Egypt vs Nigeria - 2010 Africa Cup of Nations Match Preview
Ahead of this eagerly anticipated battle, fans of Egypt and Nigeria as well as neutrals are gambling over both side’s chances of winning the match.
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Are Egypt and Nigeria equally strong?
Commencing the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations campaign with three points is the sole aim for the two contenders. Therefore, if Egypt and Nigeria are equally strong mentally, then perhaps the physical and tactical parts are what will rather shape the outcome of the game.
Egypt definitely possess a more experienced squad with its average age being 28,29 compared to Nigeria’s 26,32. In addition, Egypt can also build on a better record than Nigeria’s in their last five games:
The Pharaohs are on a nice run of four wins in their last five matches and the only sad fact will be that their defeat came at a crucial point; that was back in November against Algeria in Khartoum and it cost them a place in the finals of the upcoming 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Now, in their warm-up match ahead of Angola 2010, Egypt downed Sunday’s comeback heroes Mali 1-0 to boost their spirits.
On the contrary, Nigeria only grabbed a goalless draw in Durban against Zambia on January 6th so fans might worry about the Super Eagles’ ability to score goals.
But these worries might only be temporary as Nigeria could emulate Angola (usually carrying a poor goal scoring record under Jose Manuel) who scored four goals on the opening day of the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations tournament.
Above all, Nigeria are last-minute World Cup ticket holders so they will want Egypt to show some respect when they meet at the Complexo da Senhora da Graca stadium in Benguela.
Nigeria looking ready
Almost a week before Tuesday’s encounter, Nigeria’s coach Shaibu Amodu publicly expressed his expectations. He told the press:
“That match [Egypt vs Nigeria] will go a long way in putting things right for us.
“The Egyptians, as defending champions, will come out smoking. But we will match them, grit for grit.”
Egypt’s 2010 Africa Cup of nation roaster is perhaps the weakest since 2006 as the country is facing grave injury concerns.
Striker Amr Zaki and influential midfielder Mohammed Aboutrika are both absent in the Pharaohs’ 23-man squad but Nigeria’s coach believes that this is not a reason behind his side’s confidence ahead of the gigantesque clash.
Shaibu Amodu thinks that he has “a squad that can cause upsets and go all the way to the final” as he has “raised the confidence of the team and they are equal to the task ahead”.
Egypt, perhaps physically weaker but not mentally down
Aboutrika and Amr Zaki’s absence could in fact affect the six-time Africa Cup of Nations champions, Egypt.
However, skipper Ahmed Hassan prefers to focus on beating Nigeria no matter what.
The 34-year-old underlined the importance of opening games in general before assessing Nigeria’s strength and Egypt’s desire to win.
Ahmed Hassan stated:
“Nigeria are a strong team. However, we are familiar with all African teams now.
“I told the players they should do their best to realize their own dreams. Personally, I want to win a fourth African title with the Egyptian national team. Some want to play in Europe and all that.”
Together in unity and faith, Egypt might find the power to cut the Super Eagles’ wings.
Mozambique vs Benin - 2010 Africa Cup of Nations Match Preview
This will be the second match in Group C of the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, and because Egypt and Nigeria will be playing a few hours earlier, the hit will be on for both the Mozambicans and the Beninese to perform.
Mozambique – Nothing to lose
Mozambique qualified for this tournament in last position of their group, and their position in the FIFA World Ranking is presently negative, as they occupy the 72nd place.
However, they are ready to show off their worth on the Africa continent with a compelling start to their Africa Cup of Nations campaign in Angola.
Just as their Beninese challengers, the Mozambican snakes couldn’t make it to the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals in South Africa.
Thus, absolutely everything they possess will have to be thrown into this competition, starting from Game 1.
Mozambique’s last big success was back in November 2009, when they stunned the Tunisians by beating them 1-0, and that particular victory seems to be one of their main source of energy ahead of the finals of the Nations Cup.
Benin – Better chances of winning
Benin are also awaiting a testing night when their meeting against the Mambas takes place, but indistinctly, they could consider themselves as the favorites to get the 3 points.
The Beninese national football team won its last 2 international games, including a shocking 1-0 triumph over African giants Ghana; and hence, they are yet to feel insecure in Benguela by the time referee blows the first whistle.
The Squirrels know what they are capable of, and having failed to get even a single point in the 2008 edition of Africa’s most prestigious tournament, Benin’s desire to speed up right from match-day 1 will be stronger than ever.
This match could present a surprise just as we saw in the Angola vs Mali encounter, but such a blow could however be impossible if ever a side between both countries was to become extremely negative as his opponents becomes wilder.
In the long run, it is the final score which will be truly interesting, but one must not omit that the result of this contest will somehow be the effects of both teams’ mentality, techniques, and discipline.
