The Egypt national football team will face Nigeria national football team on Saturday evening in the third-place playoff of the Africa Cup of Nations, as the Pharaohs look to end their campaign on a positive note. The match will kick off at 6:00 pm Cairo time at Stade Mohammed V in Casablanca.
Egypt enter the match after a narrow 1–0 defeat to Senegal national football team in the semi-finals, while Nigeria lost to Morocco national football team on penalties following a dramatic draw. The result has set up a familiar continental showdown between two of Africa’s most successful football nations.
Head coach Hossam Hassan held several meetings with the players in recent days to lift morale after the semi-final setback, urging them to put in a strong performance and finish the tournament with a victory. Senior players Mohamed Salah and Mohamed El-Shenawy also addressed the squad, stressing the importance of representing Egypt with pride until the final whistle.
Mostafa Shobeir is expected to start in goal, while players such as Zizo, Mostafa Mohamed, and Ibrahim Adel are likely to feature from the start. Key figures including Omar Marmoush, Trézéguet, Hamdi Fathi, and Mohamed Shehata are expected to retain their places, while a final decision on Mohamed Salah’s involvement from kickoff will be made close to match time.
Hassan is set to revert to a 4-3-3 formation as Egypt aim to control midfield and pose a consistent attacking threat. The coach has expressed satisfaction with his players’ overall performance during the tournament, while also pointing to scheduling issues, limited recovery time, and refereeing decisions that he believes affected Egypt’s semi-final loss.
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