Group B at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament will be set ablaze on Thursday, January 18, when former Champions Egypt and Ghana lock horns.
The upcoming showdown is a must-win for not just the Pharaohs but the Black Stars as well as both national teams fight to have a chance to make it to the knockout stage of the tournament in Ivory Coast.
Ahead of the game, the footballghana team brings through this preview to capture the form, head-to-head, and all the talking points.
Form.
Egypt.
The Pharaohs are heading into the game against Ghana as the favourites although they did not look their old self in the first game at the 2023 AFCON.
In what was a game against Mozambique, Egypt had to rely on a late penalty converted by star man Mohammed Salah to escape defeat.
Despite that setback, Egypt has a record of three impressive wins and two draws in the last five matches including a 6-0 mauling of Djibouti.
If the Pharaohs had their day, they could put the Black Stars to the Sword.
Ghana.
The Black Stars are enduring one of their worst forms in recent years.
In the last five matches of the Ghana male senior national team, they have only recorded one win.
That was a 1-0 win against Madagascar in the first game of the qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
In the four other games, the Black Stars have lost three times and drawn the other game.
The first game Ghana played at the 2023 AFCON was a game against Cape Verde last Sunday.
After an unimpressive showing, the Black Stars suffered a 2-1 win at full-time.
Now heading into a big showdown with record champions Egypt, things are not looking good for Ghana.
Head-to-head.
The records show that in recent times Egypt has dominated Ghana. The last meeting between the two countries came in 2017 when they settled for a draw.
Before that game, Egypt had won three consecutive games against Ghana with the Black Stars last beating the Pharaohs with a 6-1 win back in 2013.
Pre-match.
The two managers for both national teams have been speaking ahead of the game on Thursday.
The head coach of Egypt, Rui Victoria says his side will take nothing for granted in the clash against Ghana on Thursday, January 18.
“About our next game. I won’t say we have to change tactics or not. The big objective is to be more consistent and more aggressive. Not aggressive in a bad way but aggressive in mentality,” the coach said.
Black Stars head coach Chris Hughton has promised his team will improve on their performance against Cape Verde when they take on Egypt on Thursday night in their second group match at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
“Our responsibilities are to assess in our last game what we should have done better and to make sure that we come improve going into the next game,” he said.
Talking points.
Ahead of the clash tomorrow, talks about the possibility of Ghana star Mohammed Kudus returning to action to face Egypt has dominated the news.
Meanwhile, Egyptians are also hoping poster boy Mohammed Salah will come alive to lead the team to victory.
Match details.
The match between Egypt and Ghana will be played at Stade Félix-Houphouët-Boigny in Abidjan.
Kick-off is at 8 pm.
Follow the writer @Mufasa