Zidan alone upfront against Brazil

الإثنين، 15 يونيو 2009 - 13:07

كتب : Sherif Tarek

Zidan set for Egypt return

Egypt coach Hassan Shehata is deploying Mohamed Zidan as a lone striker in the Pharaohs' first FIFA Confederations Cup match against Brazil on Monday.

The Borussia Dortmund man will be backed up by Mohamed Abou-Treika and Ahmed Hassan, who will both play as forwards.

Middlesbrough midfielder Mohamed Shawky and Ahli Dubai's Hosni Abd-Rabou will play in the heart of midfield.

Ahmed Fathi, who was earlier expected to support the rearguard, will ply his trade down the right flank, while Sayed Moawad will do the same on the left.

Ahmed Saied 'Ouka', Wael Gomaa and Hani Saied will form the Egyptian backline.

The formation and the line-up are quite similar to those Shehata depended on in the 3-1 loss to Algeria in the World Cup qualifying stage.

The only difference in that Ahmed Hassan is replacing Amr Zaki, who was ruled out through injury.

Pep Talk

Shehata had a meeting with his players on Sunday, and gave them a pep talk in an attempt to boost their morale.

The former Zamalek star stressed that pulling off a good result is a must, saying that a good performance on its own wouldn't matter.

Shehata also advised his players against keeping the ball for a long time, and asked them to step up the tempo by passing the ball quickly.

Egypt's line-up:

Goalkeeper: Essam Al-Hadari

Defenders: Wael Gomaa, Hani Saeid, Ouka

Midfielders: Sayed Moawad, Ahmed Al-Muhammadi, Hosni Abd-Rabou, Mohamed Shawky, Mohamed Abou-Treika, Ahmed Hassan, Ahmed Fathi

Strikers: Mohamed Abou-Treika, Ahmed Hassan, Mohamed Zidan

Brazil's line-up:

Goalkeeper: Julio Cesar

Defenders: Dani Alves, Lucio, Kleber, Juan

Midfielders: Felipe Melo, Gilberto Silva, Elano, Kaka

Strikers: Robinho, Luis Fabiano

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