Preview: Blacks Stars and Pharaohs both going for the kill
The first leg of this CAF World Cup Qualifying playoff match staged in Kumasi produced a surprise with seven goals split 6-1 in favour of the hosts. What sort of show will the public witness in the second leg? The Egyptians are facing a daunting task to reverse this humiliating score line. If hopes of reaching Brazil 2014 are almost all gone, the desire to restore pride is very much alive for the Pharaohs.
The home crowd will be expecting an acceptable performance from Bob Bradley’s men whereas the visitors will do everything to delight away supporters as well as fans back home. Last Friday, Egypt warmed up for their upcoming clash with a 2-0 win over Zambia. A repeat of that score line would still deny them a spot at the World Cup but interestingly damage Ghana’s momentum.
American coach Bob Bradley is up for the challenge, having not given hope on a 5-0 miracle. He told the Egyptian press on Sunday:
“Ninety minutes in Kumasi don't change our efforts all over the past two years. In the second leg we should play fast football so we must have our 11 players ready as well as the substitutes.”
Tuesday’s game in Cairo should be nothing short of exciting as FIFA have assured the Black Stars of safety despite political tensions in the country. Ghanaian assistant manager Maxwell Konadu declared:
“Initially we were not sure it was too good (to play in Cairo) but after a few meetings and advice, we think where we are going to play the match is very secured and removed from the trouble spots.”
Head coach Kwesi Appiah was speaking to All Sports GH when he revealed his intentions to annihilate Ghana’s North African rivals.
“I have made the players aware that we should get on that Egyptian pitch with the mind that we are even down by a goal or two and we are going to redeem those two goals,” he explained.
“For that reason, we are going out there to play all out and try and win.”
Egypt have not participated in the World Cup since 1990 while Ghana are on the brink of making a third appearance since 2006.
Where to watch the match – live stream, start time, TV channels, live scores
Watch Egypt vs Ghana live on Tuesday, November 19, 2013:
In Canada at 11:00 ET on: beIN Sport Play Canada
In UK at 16:00 BST on: BT Sport 2
In USA at 11:00 ET on: beIN Sport Play, beIN Sport USA, SiriusXM FC, beIN Sport en Español
In Ghana, tune into SuperSport 3 Africa and local TV and radio channels to follow the match live. If you live in Egypt, check out Al Jazeera Sport 2 and Al Jazeera Sport HD3.
This African World Cup qualifying playoff match is set to attract millions of viewers worldwide. If you are located outside the countries mentioned, visit the Egypt-Ghana match page for LiveSoccerTV’s full live listings as well as live scores upon kick-off.
