Egypt have been the best team in the history of the Africa Cup of Nations, winning the title seven times, but this is going to be their first outing in recent years after missing out in the last three editions. Egypt will hope to start the Afcon 2017 with a bang as they prepare to face Mali in the Group D contest at the Stade de Port-Gentil on Tuesday.
Africa Cup of Nations Day 3 round-up
Egypt have their eyes set on winning Afcon 2017, but it is not going to be easy with some quality teams in the competition. They should not think too much ahead, and their main objective should be to progress into the next round of the Africa Cup of Nations, which will only be possible if they play quality football in the group stages.
Manager Hector Cuper does not want to leave any stone unturned and also banned his players from talking to the media to allow them to concentrate on the game itself. Egypt have an experienced manager, who has handled teams like Inter Milan and Valencia. He wants to win the Africa Cup of Nations with Egypt.
"We are ready and enthusiastic for the African Nations Cup. We will try to deliver our best to achieve good results. In Egypt I always feel that I am facing a test to succeed or to fail. What I say is that we will try to win the African Cup title," enisports.com quoted Cuper saying.
Cuper will be relying heavily on the services of Mohamed Salah, Mohamed Elneny and other players, who have some experience in top leagues around the world. Other players also need to step up a gear to start Afcon 2017 with a win against Mali.
Mali, ranked 64th in the FIFA rankings, are searching for their maiden Afcon title. They are looking to improve upon their best performance of 1972, where they finished runners-up. Can they go one better and clinch the title?
Crystal Palace's Bakary Sako, along with other players will hope to sparkle as a collective unit in Gabon. Egypt will be a huge test for Mali. Though they might have some good players, their squad lacks experience, which is required at such level, and experienced coach Alain Giresse is aware of it.
"We're a team that lost its leaders, which is undergoing restructuring with a framework formed by players like Mola Wagué, who plays at Udinese [Italy], Yacouba Sylla [Montpellier], Mustapha Yatabaré, who plays for Kardemir Karabukspor in Turkey and Bakary Sako from Crystal Palace," Giresse said.
"We also have players who featured in the 2015 Under-20 World Cup such as Adama Traore [Monaco], who has great quality. But there is a lack of experience [in the team]."
Looking at their head-to-head record, the match could be a close one. Nine matches have taken place between the two, with Egypt and Mali winning four each and one game resulting in a draw. Team, which shows consistency throughout the match, will have a greater chance to win the match on Tuesday.
When to Watch Live
Egypt vs Mali is scheduled for a 12.30am IST ( 7pm GMT, 2 pm 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, US: TV: Bein Sports. Live Streaming: Bein Sports Connect.
