AFCON
Nigeria’s opponents, Egypt cancel training match with DR Congo
Ahead of a possible difficult match with the Super Eagles of Nigeria, record cup holders, Egypt have cancelled their training session match DR Congo who have camped in country to prepare for World Cup play-off holding in March.
DR Congo are the only sides among the 10 World Cup play-off teams that did not qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations.
Being unseeded among Africa’s top five, they will not face Egypt when the draw is finally made on January 26.
However, they remain a potential Super Eagles opponent in the World Cup play-off.
In canceling the proposed friendly game with DR Congo, Egypt’s Portuguese coach, Carlos Queiroz also shifted the team’s departure from Friday to Saturday, the eve of the opening match of the Africa Cup of Nations.
Egypt’s national team coach Carlos Queiroz canceled Thursday’s training session with the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) national team and postponed the Pharaoh’s flight to Cameroon until Saturday.
The Pharaohs underwent PCR tests on Thursday morning in preparation for the flight to Cameroon, which has been moved to Saturday morning to give the players enough time to rest before traveling. The seven-time African champions will be playing in Group D with Nigeria, Sudan, and Guinea Bissau, and will begin their campaign for the AFCON with a clash against the Nigerian Super Eagles on 11 January.
According to Libya’s news outlets, there are palpable fears in the Libya national team which faces successive crises and trying to avoid early elimination from the Africa Cup of Nations qualifying series.
The team which faces the Super Eagles this week has been plagued with players’ absences occasioned by injuries and boycotts.
The coach recently appointed has revealed the names of players refusing to represent the national team.
In a press conference held on Saturday, Coach Nasser Al-Hadhiri remarked that the absence of several players were due to real injuries.
In that class are Ahmed Al-Tarbi, a defender of Ahli Tripoli; Mohammed Al-Tabbal of Al-Nasr club and Ali Youssef who also suffered the injury while playing with Tunisia’s Club Africaine.
If the Libyan national team sticks to plans, the players are expected to have arrived in Nigeria ahead of their Thursday’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifying duel in Uyo.
With most players drawn from the domestic league, the national team had daily training sessions in Tripoli under coach Nasser Al-Hadhiri and his assistants Akram Al-Hammami and Abu Bakr Al-Hark.
However, according to media sources in Libya, the team faces injury worries even though the absence of Victor Osimhen in the Nigerian squad is being celebrated.
Even though it did not mention the injured Libyan players, Libya Al-Ahrar Channel reports that replacements were found in Al-Tahadi FC defender, Mohammed Khalil and Al-Nasr midfielder, Abdullah Abdul Rahim as well as Al-Akhdar winger, Faraj Ghaidhan. They take the places of the absent regular players.
Franck Mawuena who recently renewed his contract with Remo Stars has received a call-up to the Togolese squad for this week’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match. He had previously featured in the Belgian League.
He was part of the Remo Stars squad that finished second in the Nigeria Premier league last season. He scored six goals.
Togo will be away to Algeria on Thursday before hosting the reversed fixture on 14 October.
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