Pre-tournament favourites Senegal face AFCON’s most successful team in Wednesday’s eagerly awaited first semifinal.
Who: Egypt vs Senegal
What: CAF Africa Cup of Nations
Where: Ibn Batouta Stadium in Tangier, Morocco
When: Wednesday at 6pm (17:00 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on media Sport from 14:00 GMT in advance of our text commentary stream.
Superstar Mohamed Salah is one step closer to realising his long-held dream of winning the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) with Egypt as the Pharaohs chase a record-extending eighth continental title in Morocco.
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The 33-year-old forward has lifted major honours with Liverpool – including the Premier League and Champions League titles – but Africa’s most coveted prize has eluded him. A two-time AFCON runner-up, Salah is aiming to finally go one step further with pre-tournament favourites Senegal his next hurdle in the first semifinal on Wednesday.
Senegal, Africa’s second highest ranked nation at 19th in the world, feature in the AFCON semifinals for the third time in the last four editions. Boasting the likes of Sadio Mane and Kalidou Koulibaly, the Teranga Lions have no dearth of talent or depth across their squad.
Here’s all to know before the Senegal vs Egypt showdown:
How did Senegal reach the AFCON semifinals?
Senegal ended their group campaign unbeaten, registering two wins and a draw to finish top of Group D with seven points, edging the Democratic Republic of the Congo on goal difference.
In the round of 16, they overcame an early scare to beat lowly Sudan 3-1. In the quarterfinals, Senegal became the first team to reach the final four with a narrow 1-0 win over West African neighbours Mali.
How did Egypt reach the semifinals?
Egypt enjoyed a similar record in the group stage, finishing top of Group B with seven points.
They defeated Benin 3-1 in the round of 16 before knocking out the title holders Ivory Coast 3-2 in a thrilling quarterfinal.
Who will the winner face in Sunday’s AFCON final?
The winner of this match will face the victor of the second semifinal between Nigeria and host nation Morocco.
Who are Senegal’s best players?
Striker Nicolas Jackson and central midfielder Pape Gueye have both delivered match-winning performances, scoring two goals apiece, while Cherif Ndiaye has also found the net twice with both goals coming off the bench.
Veteran winger Mane remains a linchpin for Senegal alongside midfielder Iliman Ndiaye, whose decisive contribution sealed their semifinal qualification, and 17-year-old sensation Ibrahim Mbaye continues to play with a maturity well beyond his years.
Who are Egypt’s best players?
Salah, arguably the biggest African football star of his generation, is Egypt’s highest scorer at the tournament with four goals, tied for second on the AFCON top scorers list behind Morocco’s Brahim Diaz.
The Liverpool attacking winger arrived in Morocco short of his usual world class standards, but Salah has swiftly returned to the red-hot form that earned him the nickname “the Egyptian King”.
Sublimely talented Manchester City forward Omar Marmoush (two goals) leads the Egyptian attacking line while centre back Rami Rabia and midfielder Hamdi Fathi are key contributors in defence.
Senegal and Egypt form guides
(All competitions, latest result first)
Senegal: W-D-W-W-L
Egypt: W-W-D-W-W
Head-to-head
Senegal and Egypt have met in 15 previous encounters across friendly and competitive matches.
Egypt have a slight edge in the head-to-head record with seven wins while Senegal have won six times. Two games ended in a draw.
When did Senegal and Egypt last meet?
The teams last met in a FIFA World Cup qualifying playoff in March 2022. It was the second leg of the playoff tie, in which Senegal won 3-1 on penalties as Egypt failed to qualify for the global showpiece.
Salah missed a penalty in that decisive fixture.
Have Senegal ever won an AFCON title?
This is Senegal’s 18th appearance at the tournament with their best result a maiden championship title at AFCON 2021 in Cameroon.
They were also runners-up twice, in 2002 and 2019.
Have Egypt ever won an AFCON title?
Yes. Egypt are record seven-time AFCON winners with title victories in 1957, 1959, 1986, 1998, 2006, 2008 and 2010.
They were also runners-up three times, in 1962, 2017 and 2021.
Senegal team news
Senegal coach Pape Thiaw has no new injury concerns.
Senegal’s predicted lineup
Edouard Mendy (goalkeeper); Krepin Diatta, Kalidou Koulibaly, Moussa Niakhate, Malick Diouf; Lamine Camara, Idrissa Gana Gueye, Pape Gueye; Iliman Ndiaye, Habibou Mouhamadou Diallo, Sadio Mane
Egypt team news
Midfielder Mohamed Hamdi, who picked up an injury in the round of 16, is unavailable. Otherwise, coach Hossam Hassan has a fit squad.
Egypt’s predicted lineup
Mohamed El Shenawy (goalkeeper); Yasser Ibrahim, Hossam Abdelmaguid, Rami Rabia; Mohamed Hany, Marwan Ateya, Hamdi Fathi, Ahmed Abou El Fotouh; Emam Ashour; Mohamed Salah, Omar Marmoush
