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Squad announced for Algeria’s “battle”
Comments(47)![egyptians-players-team400[1]](http://egypt.worldcupblog.org/files/2009/10/egyptians-players-team40011.jpg)
So Shehata took no risks at all gathering all his -fit- cards even the ones he left after CAN 2006 to join the preparation camp for the battle on 14 /11 against Algeria; still he said that his list won’t be final and there is room for surprises.
The squad was announced yesterday witnessing the return of Abdel Zaher El Saqqa – remember this guy- Zidan, Emad Meteb and Abdel Wahed El Sayed.
Take a look
Goalkeepers: Essam Al-Hadari, Abdul-Wahed Al-Sayed, Mahmoud Aboul-Saoud.
Defenders: Hani Saied, Abdul-Zaher Al-Saqqa, Sherif Abdul-Fadil, Ahmed Saied ‘Ouka’, Moatasem Salem, Wael Gomaa.
Midfielders: Ahmed Fathi, Ahmed Al-Muhammadi, Sayed Moawad, Abdul-Aziz Tawfeek, Ahmed Hassan, Mohamed Hommos, Hosni Abd-Rabou, Mohamed Shawky, Mohamed Shaaban, Ahmed Eid, Mohamed Barakat, Mohamed Abou-Treika.
Strikers: Amr Zaki, Mohamed Zidan, Emad Meteb, Ahmed Raouf.
Also Wael Gomaa will join the camp in case we play a tiebreaker.
For the first time since the start of the group matches we find many options in the attack line with Zidan, Zaki, Meteb, Raouf; fortunately, they returned in the match where we will need them the most as we look for goals and only goals.
Also for the first time in quite a period, El Hadary has a good substitute in Abdel Wahed; we all remember when El Hadary got injured in Zambia’s game 2 weeks ago and we all prayed he get up because his substitutes were Abu El Sood and El Hany Solieman who, with all due respect, still need time to stand in the Egyptian goal.
A great start for us.
I have to hail Shehata for his very logical selections, choosing the most reasonable players available at this time who are up to the job and have the experience needed to endure the huge pressure during the match from the burden of scoring 2 goals as a start and the rush of 80 thousand fans for the goals to come as early as possible.
“This is the most important call up in my history.”
This is how El Saqqa described his return since his last game with the national team against Uruguay in august 2006; very wise decision from Shehata given the absence of Wael Gomaa; however, it should have been earlier even before Algeria’s first game when our defense seemed to have a lot of troubles.
![saka_masr[1]](http://egypt.worldcupblog.org/files/2009/10/saka_masr11-300x225.jpg)
However, I believe El Saqqa won’t start the match but will have a role sometime during the game, Fathi will be fielded instead; a decision that I would support due to the long absence of El Saqqa and his need of time to adapt with the new players not present in 2006.
Let’s just remember that our veteran defender was part of the historical 5-2 win scoring Egypt’s third from a perfect free kick.
As you can see, most of the new young names, with the exception of Mohamed Shabaan, like El Gabas, Sayed Hamdy, and Ahmed Kamal are all out of the picture; this proves how seriously Shehata is taking this match; however, they might be needed later.
We can also see that Mido and Shikabala aren’t selected; the first scored his first goal last week against El Gouna but failed to impress against Military production; however, I guess we could have used him sometime in the game.
It’s funny, because joining the national team was the first reason for Mido to return to the Egyptian league, now he neither plays in Europe nor in the National Team!!
Shikabala……….what a waste; for those who don’t know he was suspended by Zamalek and Egyptian Football Association for doing this.
He could have been the star of the match playing with Algerian defenses and scoring goals from his accurate and powerful shots but……What a waste!!!
I guess the atmosphere in Zamalek doesn’t help anyone to shine and excel !!!
So the team started their camp in Cairo and will fly to Aswan to meet Tanzania next Saturday then return for a closed camp till the match’s day; professionals won’t join until five days before the game, though.
In other news,
Egypt chose Sudan, Ghana and Nigeria as possible venues for the tiebreaker; very reasonable choices, Sudan is very close and have a big Egyptian population, Ghana would be like home after we supported them in U-20 world cup and Nigeria isn’t bad after all; I mean we knew we can’t play in North Africa, sadly though!!!
regarding the tickets, they will be available 3 days only before the game, they are a little expensive but this won’t stop the fans from packing Cairo stadium.
Algerian fans will be handed their tickets, green colored, through the Algerian embassy only one day before the game to prevent any black market deals with people buying tickets as Egyptians and then reselling them to Algerians, who by the way won’t have more than the stand dedicated to guests right of the main tribune, so no matter how many tickets they buy they will only have 2000 seats!!!
So what do you think of these choices? Anyone you think should be added? Someone was left? And what do you think of Tanzania’s game?…..share it with us.
Goal of the day
Following the steps of the famous Cartoon Series “Captain Majed” El Gabas and Ahmed Samir both scored a goal at the same time from a double shot during a game with their club Lierse in Belgium.
Trivia: who scored this goal?
Displaying the most recent 25 comments from a total of 47 comments.
Read the rest of the comments
So I have a question. Objectively speaking: What are the odds that Egypt wins by a margin of 2 goals. I know we need 3.
Outside of emotions and loyalty. I am curious what the soccer buffs think. Can it happen? If so by what odds? The posts above are mostly about posturing and exchanging blame and insults. I am Looking for an academic analysis.
Thanks.
Posted from 
United States
if u think about it egypt have more than a good chance of qualifing
egyption leages are cancelled
for the first time since our first match against zambia we have got our full squad (except some other minor players ) like mido shikabala and so on…
players are dedicatind their selfs fully to this match
and with the home crowd cheering their guts out it will be asif 15 players on the pitch
i balive 2-3 goals is not a problems for a team that won the african cup of nations 6 times, beat world champions troubled brazil and beat all big names round africa
all we can think about is the positive
2-0 n then 1-0 inshallah
The Egyptian public has to realize that this is one of the best Algerian teams since the 90’s. The match is going to be tough for both sides without any doubt. What most Egyptians on -this blog particularly- seem to forget is that most of our players play in big leagues around europe. The level of competition there is much more better then any African or Asian country!!
Make no mistake, we are coming to Cairo to defeat the Egyptian team, we must be clever and know how to deal with the game. Play with the time since Egypt will be desperate for goals, absorb the first attacks, and when the time is right……………… BAM!! 1-0 El Jazair!
It will be an interesting game. May the best team inshallah win!
PS I hope we can stay away from personal insults, please only football
Of course it will not be easy, but scoring 2+ goals is certainly possible. In Algeria’s last game, Rwanda (lowest ranked member of the group!) managed to score its ONLY goal of this qualification round, so the Algerian defense is hardly unbreakable. Just think of what we will be able to do with our stars back in play.
In contrast, Egypt has not conceded any goals since its match with Algeria and will be playing at home to top it all off.
I agree that there is no need for personal insults or attacking countries (regardless of who you think started it). We should all be celebrating right now, since an Arab team has qualified to the world cup! With that said, there is nothing wrong with some friendly trashtalk 
. It’s a shame we are both in the same group, because Egypt is not just going to hand you the ticket. Regardless of who makes it, they will have to play one hell of a game (or two!) to qualify.
Now, onto some real football discussion: What tactics do you think Algeria will deploy? Will they full on defend, or will they try and score a goal to shut Egypt down? Either way, how do you think Egypt should/will counter? I see holes in both strategies.
Posted from United States
Also, just because you have some players who play in Europe does not instantly make your national team a powerhouse. Football is about teamwork and chemistry and not just the sum of individual skills. Something that is difficult to develop when your players do not interact with each other often. This is why I think this Algerian team has potential in the future, but still has a ways to go before it can be considered a “good” team.
And just because a player plays in Europe does not make him a star. The player might be in a second tier division, an average team, may not always start with their team, etc. I am sure there are some Algerian players who have excellent records, but you guys make it sound like you have an all-star team.
Posted from United States
Long live arab nation and today I will say long live Algeria, 1st November !!
egypt most likely will not score in the first half
buh in the second half shehata will make some changes and goals will come…..
My fear is this: The algerian team will resort to the tactics that make soccer unpopular in the US. Namely: exaggerated claims of injury, creative ways to waste time and just an over all disposition that destroys the game. I have yet to see a soccer team that rises above these un-sportsman like tactics.
The ref will have his work cut out for him. I don’t envy his job. I am personally planning to go work out before the game to drain my energy out. If I don’t do that and if the conduct of the players boils my blood, then something will break in the house. Something I don’t want to do especially since we will be watching the game at my parents house lol!
Posted from United States
Ok, if I was Shehata this would be my strategy:
1-) Keep the ball in the Algerian quadrant. (Easy) This will make them think twice about fouling. Free kicks in and around that area are dangerous as they can be crossed into the penalty box for a header.
2-) Keep the pressure on the Algerians and play man to man (Hard). The algerians will be interested in wasting time and so every player with the ball will have to be challenged. Unfortunately challenging the Algerians will only cause them to fall and waste time asking for a foul. We’ll need a ref who can keep this to a minimum. Those stretchers better be ready to take those player out quickly!
3-) Try your damn hardest to score end the first half with a 1-0 for Egypt (Moderate difficulty). Doing so will likely cause the Algerians to try to attack which will open up the game in Egypt’s favor. They would be unwise to continue a defensive posture for another goal against them will make it hard to recover given the home advantage (i.e The cheering of the masses + strength the full squad of Egypt and their EXCELLENT defense)
4-) Minimize going to the sides and crossing over. Instead shots from the outside the 18 should be maximized. (Moderate difficulty). Crossing over from the sides is likely to help the Algerians counter attack if these cross overs fail to reach an egyptian player. Failed shots on the other hand are likely to become corners or even cause chaos that would work to the Egyptian’s favor.
5-) Egyptians players MUST keep their cool (Hard). The algerians are likely to resort to tactics that irk the Egyptians. This is where the professional players have an edge and I hope they can bring the rest of the squad up to their level.
6-) Finally, Egypt and their fans MUST be prepared to lose. If Algeria plays a clean game and wins then we should all Salut them and wish them the best in the world cup.
That would be my strategy but then again no one aske me lol. May the best team win.
Cheers.
Hisham
Posted from United States
Houari: happy independence day or whatever it is 
….just wanted to ask if you are enrolled in a Nasserite party or something, cuz you are from the very few who believe in these things……kidding
Hisham: actually i am doing a post to discuss all the tactics of the game so thanks for your comment, very helpful.
@tamin if the arab nation is like that today, it’s maybe because we are few.
The independence day is 5 july. 1st November is the beginning of the revolution (independence war).
egypt will influence the referee, mubarak needs to drug his people with football to hide the problems egyptian society has. Mubarak is well thought ofaround the world due to his servant attitude towards isreal, fifa is notably as political establishment more than a football one, draw your own conclucions….
@bahaa
You said “Algeria is a 2nd tier team.They are an average team coming to play a world power”. Here is what is wrong with your statement:
*Last time Egypt went to world cup was 19 years ago and lost all games–a world power go everytime to world cup and win all games.
*Egypt is in the same group as Algeria and who is first? it should be the world power isn’t it?
*The last 3 scores betwen Algeria and Egypt were:
Algeria 3-Egypt1 (June 2009)
Algeria 2-Egypt1 (CAN 2004)
Algeria 1- Egypt 1
who is really the world power?
Mbousama- First of all You should know your facts before talking. Its embarassing when you make a statement that is so wrong that everything else you say is now a joke. First when we beat you to go to the Italy world cup. We did not lose all the games we tied the netherlands 1-1 we tied ireland and we lost 1 game to England 1-0. Second If you try and bring up games between algeria and Egypt its funny how all you algerians forget the bring up the 5-2 humiliation in 2001. You’ll be seeing Barakat again on the 14th. Second when i speak of algeria being a second tier team and Egypt being a world power I’m speaking of our current teams.Before you talk go check out your record of the last year or two and check our record.The only game in your record you can be proud of is the game against egypt. thats it. The rest of your record is average against below average competition.Yes you beat us in Algeria alf mabrook i hope you recorded it and you can watch it over and over again after the 14th when you come back to the reality of being an average team. I would like to thank all of Algeria for the compliment to Egypts national team. Beacuase of that one game against Egypt all of algeria now thinks they have a good team. It is a big compliment.
What makes Egypt a world power my friend OUR RECORD. Our record against world class teams. 4-2 cameroon 4-1 ivory coast 3-4 brazil 1-0 italy. Outside of Algeria no one compares the two teams.It would be embarassing for Africa if a team like algeria or Gabon made it to the world cup. Embarrassing like last time when Angola and TOGO went. Its finally time to send our powerhouse teams to the world cup so Africa can get the respect it deserves
Egypt and Algeria are in the same group we have one more game and when that game is over Egypt will be in first place. Don’t get me wrong All of algeria should be proud you played well over your heads and you deserve to be comeneded for that. But to put a second tier team at the level of the African champions is comical and only happens in ALGERIA
Bahaa:
We beat mighty Germany in WC 1982, we did not tie them, Egypt never won on WC stage especially a powerhouse like Germany. If you played Italy in WC stage they would have smacked you, anyway you played a non-motivated Italian team and it showed after you were destroyed by USA (they are only known for their basket ball). Watch for your death on Nov. 14th and I bet you’ll still think you’re a powerhouse.
Bahaa:
It is not because we beat Egypt once (actually it is twice) that we think we’re a good team. It is because we do have a good team and we’re first in a group of 4 teams although I may accept that the other 3 teams are weak, however we’ll prove our strength in South Africa.
Hatem:
Here is an answer for you because you asked:
When the game starts, Algeria is winning 2-0 so obviously pressure is on Egypt to push but they’ll stumble on a solid Algeria’s defense. After about 20 mns (score still-0-0), Egypt will start to panick and attack more, they will then open spaces in the back and with a weaker defense (no wael gomaa) it happens Egypt0-Algeria1 (80,000 fans go silent, a cold feeling takes over the crowd). Half-time, egyptian fans start to throw stuff on the pitch. Second-half starts, frustrated egyptian players play dirty, an algerian counter attack and a player is down, ref shows a red card. Egypt play with 10 players, Algeria ease up a bit and Egypt scores one goal. Game ends Egypt1-Algeria1, only Abu-trika goes to congratulate algerian players, Hasan Shehata congratulates Rabah Saadane.
Answer to Hisham:
Don’t worry Algeria is a fast pace team, they won’t play the dirty tactics you mentioned because tey are not going to get a tie there. They are going to put the game beyond the reach of Egypt by winning in CAIRO.
you really don’t know anything about football your just another naive Algerian fan.yes you beat Germany 27 years ago. Even if you won the world cup 27 years ago. That is insignificant. Again I’m talking about this second teir Algerian team vs this African powerhouse. And yes you had ONE win against Egypt and all of a sudden your a good team. From zero to hero because of one game. Yes we lost to a weak Algerian team. No excuse to lose to a weak team like that. A team that tied rowanda the game before. Just like our backups lost to the USA . Spain also lost to the USA . I guess using your stupid logic the USA is now better than Spain ….. The 14this coming and so is reality.hope you recorded the last game you can watch it and the Germany game and tell each other how good you guys are
Posted from United States
Just one more addition to bahaa’s comprehensive comparison is those last 3 games algerians are proud of that Egypt could not win were played away in algeria. And dont let me go into details about how “friendly” the treatment was to the Egyptian team, especially when you didn’t let the players sleep a whole night and putting shit in their food… real civilized people over there…
Posted from 
Hungary
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