Ghana, with back-to-back victories, have already booked their quarterfinals berth of Afcon 2017, and will finish on top of Group D if they manage to defeat Egypt on Wednesday. Egypt will also be keen to achieve the same, which can be attained with a victory over Ghana. So there is a lot to play for both the teams in their respective last group matches of the Africa Cup of Nations.
Host Gabon crashes out of Afcon 2017
However, there are chances of seven-time Afcon winners Egypt getting eliminated as well. For that to happen, Mali needs to defeat Uganda with a good scoreline and Egypt have to lose against Ghana. However, a draw will be enough for Egypt to reach the next stage. If Mali and Egypt both lose, it is the latter, which will progress into the quarterfinals.
With big teams like Ivory Coast and Algeria having been knocked out of Afcon already, Egypt will not want to follow suit. They will look for solid three points against Ghana, which will also help them garner immense confidence in the knockout stages.
To be fair, Egypt have not been able to show their class in the competition, with a draw against Mali in their opening match, and a narrow 1-0 win over Uganda. There is serious need for the Egypt players especially Mohamed Salah and Mohamed Eleny to step up their game against Ghana.
Defender Ahmed Elmohamady is confident that Egypt can still win the title if their players keep their focus.
"I remember from being here (at the finals) in 2008 and 2010, it was very, very hard before. Some big, big teams played and I think this time it is not that difficult to win it, so we have to just focus and concentrate on our games and enjoy the competition," espnfc.com quoted defender Elmohamady as saying.
With Ghana already having booked their spot for the quarterfinals of the Africa Cup of Nations, it remains to be seen if they will make any changes for the match against Egypt. Resting players for their big quarterfinals encounter could be on the mind of coach Avram Grant.
Ghana will be keen to finish the Afcon 2017 group stage match with a bang, winning three of three, as it will give them confidence. Grant, however, believes it is not going to be easy against a tough team like Egypt.
"Egypt are a very good team and they know how to play good football. It will be hard, it will be tough, but I love challenges. We will stick to our philosophy, but we will change a few things tactically. We want to win on Wednesday, and to improve in every game we play,'' Grant said.
Where to watch live
Egypt vs Ghana Afcon 2017 match is scheduled for a 12:30am IST (7:00pm GMT, 2:00pm ET) start. Live Streaming and TV information:
India: TV: No live coverage.
Africa: TV: SuperSport6 Africa. Live Streaming: SuperSport live video.
UK: TV: EuroSport 1 UK. Live Streaming: EuroSport Player.
Australia, Canada, US: TV: Bein Sports. Live Streaming: Bein Sports Connect.
