Egypt Vs Nigeria: Chelle, Hassan Ready to Test New Faces in Cairo Showdown
Nigeria and Egypt, two of Africa’s most successful football nations, will go head‑to‑head on Tuesday evening at the Cairo Stadium in a high‑profile friendly designed to sharpen both sides ahead of the 35th Africa Cup of Nations kicking off in Morocco on Sunday.
The Super Eagles, three‑time champions, and the Pharaohs, record seven‑time winners, are expected to approach the match with full intensity as they fine‑tune their squads for the tournament.
Both managers will use the fixture to assess several newcomers. Nigeria’s head coach, Eric Sékou Chelle, has the option of handing minutes to goalkeeper Amas Obasogie, defender Ryan Alebiosu, midfielders Usman Muhammed, Tochukwu Nnadi and Ebenezer Akinsanmiro, along with forwards Paul Onuachu and Salim Fago Lawal.
The friendly offers a final opportunity to evaluate depth before the team heads to Morocco.
Egypt’s coach, Hossam Hassan, an AFCON icon who scored seven goals as the Pharaohs won the 1998 edition in Burkina Faso, will also be testing his options.
Hassan finished that tournament as joint top scorer alongside South Africa’s Benni McCarthy, whose team claimed the silver medal. For this match and the AFCON campaign itself, Hassan is expected to build his approach around Liverpool star Mohamed Salah, who, despite his glittering club career, is still chasing his first AFCON title.
He will also rely on Manchester City’s Omar Marmoush, Al Ahly’s Mohamed El‑Shenawy, Mohamed Hany, Yasser Ibrahim, Emam Ashour and Mahmoud Trezeguet. Additional firepower comes from Pyramids’ Mohamed Hamdy and Mostafa Fathi, UAE‑based Ibrahim Adel, and Mostafa Mohamed of FC Nantes.
For Nigeria, Chelle is likely to lean on his established core: goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali; defenders Bright Osayi‑Samuel, Semi Ajayi, Calvin Bassey and Zaidu Sanusi; midfielders Wilfred Ndidi, Frank Onyeka and Alex Iwobi; and forwards Samuel Chukwueze, Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman.
Kick‑off is scheduled for 8pm in Egypt (7pm in Nigeria). By Monday afternoon, 17 of the 28 players named in Nigeria’s final AFCON squad had already arrived in Cairo, with more expected before the evening training session.
The Super Eagles will depart the Egyptian capital for Fés on Thursday aboard a chartered flight.
Nigeria’s AFCON mission, branded NAIJA 4 THE WIN, begins on Tuesday, 23rd December with a Group C opener against Tanzania’s Taifa Stars, a repeat of the first match of the 1980 tournament that Nigeria hosted and won.
The Eagles will then face 2004 champions Tunisia on Saturday, 27th December, before rounding off the group stage against Uganda’s Cranes on Tuesday, 30th December. All three matches will be played at the Complexe Sportif de Fés.
