Egypt vs South Africa: Battle for Top Spot in Group B

by Geoffrey Ejiga | by Véronique MASUAKU

image Egypt vs South Africa: Battle for Top Spot in Group B
Egypt takes on South Africa next, and the top spot in Group B of the AFCON will likely be decided here. Both nations won their opening games and are on course to qualify for the knockouts. However, with a favourable first-place finish within touching distance, expect game-of-the-round worthy action as The Pharaohs and Bafana Bafana go for the kill!

Can The Pharaohs Break Bafana Bafana's Curse?

Egypt, who are Group B favourites, also have the much lower betting odds to beat South Africa. However, Bafana Bafana have not only denied them a string of victories, but have also beaten The Pharaohs in their last three meetings since 2016.

Can Egypt break that curse, or is South Africa on course to top Group B with another win over their rivals? See our expert's Egypt vs South Africa prediction!

Their latest meeting saw South Africa cruise to a 3-1 victory as the underdog in a friendly game earlier this year. And right before was an even more shocking 1-0 defeat in the knockout stages of this tournament, but that was in 2019.

The Pharaohs enter with an even sharper attack as Liverpool’s Mohammed Salah pairs with Manchester City's Omar Marmoush up front. The duo scored the two goals that sealed a 2-1 win for Egypt in the opener against Zimbabwe. Salah’s 91st-minute game-winner was especially crucial after Zimbabwe defended 35 shots and 78% possession all game.

However, a more well-balanced Bafana Bafana, who are unbeaten in 21 games with the senior team, may not be so forgiving to the seven-time AFCON champions.

South Africa Looks to Defy Odds With Egypt Win

South Africa is still bitter about their semifinal defeat to Nigeria in that last AFCON edition, even with the third-place consolation. They reached that semi-final off two spectacular underdog wins after stealing a point from Tunisia to qualify for the knockouts on the very last day.

The journey was doomed to end in their round of 16 draw against Morocco. However, Bafana Bafana defended brilliantly to win the game 2-0 with only 5 shots! It was a similar story in their quarter-final win over Cabo Verde on penalties.

What's interesting is just as in the previous edition, South Africa can silently make another deep run despite what the betting odds suggest. They aren't the best team in attack, midfield, or defence. But their balance in all three areas makes them especially difficult to play against.

Not to mention that South Africa still has Ronwen Williams in post, the winner of the Best Goalkeeper in the last Africa Cup of Nations. Egypt might edge South Africa in attack. But Bafana Bafana may still have the better team overall, and is definitely capable of beating The Pharaohs yet again.