South Sudan vs Egypt AFCON Qualifier Preview
South Sudan host Egypt in their second Group B fixture of the AFCON qualifiers, with both teams seeking their first win.
Neither side has been particularly impressive in attack and could be set to serve up a low-scoring encounter.
Key Stats
- Six of South Sudan’s last 10 matches in all competitions have produced under 2.5 goals.
- South Sudan have failed to score in five of their last eight matches in all competitions.
- Six of Egypt’s last nine matches in all competitions have produced under 2.5 goals.
Egypt with the Edge
The only previous meeting between both teams was a friendly back in 2023, which ended 3-0 in favour of Egypt.
South Sudan Struggling for Form
South Sudan are coming off a 2-1 away defeat to Malawi in their opening Group B fixture. After going behind at the break, they struck back through Joseph Dhata but went on to concede the winner midway through the second half.
That was the second straight defeat for South Sudan, who were also beaten 1-0 by Djibouti in a preliminary qualifying clash back in March. Both results are part of a poor run for the Bright Stars, who are winless in nine of their last 10 matches in all competitions.
One of the major issues for South Sudan is a lack of cutting edge in attack, having failed to score in five of their last eight matches in all competitions. Six of the last 10 matches for Christian Nsengi-Biembe’s team have produced under 2.5 goals.
Egypt Searching for Spark
Egypt come into this clash off the back of a 0-0 home draw with Angola in their opening fixture. It was a drab encounter with little goalmouth action as the Pharaohs could only muster two attempts on target.
While the result means Egypt now have a point on the board, manager Hossam Hassan will be disappointed with the performance. They will be keen to show some improvement on Tuesday, having gone unbeaten in eight of their last 10 matches in all competitions.
One similarity with South Sudan is that Egypt are also not particularly convincing going forward. This has led to a few low-scoring contests lately, with six of their last nine matches in all competitions producing under 2.5 goals.
Team News & Predicted Line-ups
South Sudan (4-4-2): Majak Mawith; Atendele Geriga, Rehan Angier, Benjamin Laku, Bangasi Bakasoro; Joseph Dhata, Chan Yak, William Gama, Keer Majak; Jamu Iluya, Mario Albano.
Dhata should continue in midfield after netting South Sudan's only goal last time out. Rehan Angier should feature in midfield while Mario Albano is set to start in attack.
Egypt (4-3-3): Oufa Shobeir; Mohamed Hany, Hossam Abdelmaguid, Ramy Rabia, Ahmed Fatouh; Mohanad Lasheen, Emam Ashour; Haissem Hassan, Ziko, Zizo; Omar Marmoush.
Egypt will be without captain Mohamed Salah, who is rested for this one. Omar Marmoush could be handed a start after coming off the bench last time out, while Ramy Rabia is set to continue in defence.