The Pharaohs face the Black Starts in Group D final Match

Egypt will face Ghana in Port-Gentil tonigh looking for the result that will see them join their opponents in qualifying for the Africa Cup of Nations 2017 quarterfinals.

The Pharaohs need only draw the game, in the Gabonese port city to be certain of progressing to the last eight, although if Mali fail to beat Uganda they will be through anyway.

A Mali win paired with an Egypt loss, however, would mean goal difference would have the final say as to who qualifies as group runners-up, a scenario the seven-time African champions will be keen to avoid.

Previous games for both team:

Egypt v Mali

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTQiUMK7kVc

Ghana v Mali

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kchW2FOTYPM

Therefore, the defensive-oriented Egypt boss Cuper is widely expected to be aiming for a draw against the Black Stars, a result that would see both sides march through.

Egypt v Uganda

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=genzkHInecQ

Ghana v Uganda

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbaWwrs6Omo

Both sides had complained of the poor state of the Port-Gentil pitch, but whoever will top the group will have to play on it again in the quarters although reports are circulating that African governing body CAF is contemplating changing its plans with this regard.

“We want to qualify and we want to play on a good pitch,” Ghana coach Avram Grant said.

“There is no point complaining about the pitch but I am not happy with this — we are a technical team and we try to play good football.

“If the other pitch is better of course I’d prefer the other pitch.”

Egypt’s Argentinean boss Cuper also said it was difficult to play smoothly on the Port-Gentil surface.

Egypt’s injury

An ankle injury picked up by Ahly Jeddah full-back Mohamed Abdel-Shafi means the ex-Valencia boss is left with a problem in the left-back position.

Inexperienced full-back Karim Hafez, who plays for Ligue 2 side RC Lens, does not seem a reliable option for Cuper, who knows quite well that his defender on the left will be facing a stern test against Ghana star Christian Atsu.

Moving in-form veteran right-back Ahmed Fathi to the left is an option for Cuper, who would be forced to deploy either Omar Gaber or Hull City’s Ahmed Elmohamady on the right in this case.

Asamoah Gyan will hope to feature

Gyan netted the only goal in Saturday’s victory against Mali and he has now scored eight times at the Cup of Nations over six consecutive tournaments.

The 31-year-old is also closing on a significant landmark as his next goal will be his 50th in international football.

“In tournaments you don’t look for personal glory,” he said at a press conference on Monday when asked about the significance of reaching his half-century.

“Maybe after if I get on the scoresheet then I can celebrate personal glory, but as a striker people expect you to score and I am here to win the trophy.”

Salah in the middle or on the right?

Another major talking point is what tactics Cuper would deploy against the West Africans, with the 61-year-old manager having made changes to his starting lineup in the 1-0 victory over Uganda from the Mali draw.

With Cuper electing to use Stoke City winger Ramadan Sobhi on the left, the Egypt boss was eventually forced to make a decision between omitting either AS Roma star Mohamed Salah or Ahly playmaker Abdallah El-Said.

He opted to field Salah behind Ahly frontman Marwan Mohsen as a second striker, providing extra presence inside the opponents’ box – an aspect that seemed lacking in the Uganda draw.

Cuper, however, looks likely to continue with his favored 4-2-3-1 formation that features an attacking line of three of Salah, El-Said and Mahmoud ‘Trezeguet’, with the changes against Uganda understandably forced due to Egypt’s need to win the game.

But whether Cuper will be able to get around the problem of Salah’s lack of interest in defending remains to be seen. One of the central midfield duo will probably be instructed to support the right-back.

Another option is Cuper fielding Salah as a lone striker upfront, while using Sobhi, El-Said and Trezeguet behind, but striker Mohsen’s fine form of late could quite dissuade ex-Mallorca boss from doing so.

In all cases, the manager is expected to sit back and deploy a reactive strategy against a Ghana side, who have already secured qualification for the next phase.