Egypt coach Hossam Hassan insisted his side are not afraid of anyone as they face Spain in Barcelona on Tuesday.
Spain welcome Egypt to the RCDE Stadium, home of Espanyol, for just the second meeting between the European champions and a country that has won the Africa Cup of Nations a record seven times.
La Roja, who had been scheduled to face reigning world champions Argentina in the Finalissima last Friday before that game was cancelled due to the war in the Middle East, were typically dominant as they swept aside Serbia 3-0 in Villarreal instead.
Mikel Oyarzabal scored twice with Victor Munoz adding Spain’s third goal as the Osasuna forward enhanced his growing reputation by finding the net on his first senior appearance for his country.
Egypt, meanwhile, cruised to a 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia, whom Spain will face in their second group match at this summer’s World Cup in North America.
They scored three goals in the first half before Manchester City’s Omar Marmoush rounded off the rout in the second.
Despite being without Liverpool star Mohamed Salah, who is three goals shy of breaking Hassan’s goalscoring record for his country, Egypt go into a daunting fixture with no fear.
“Spain is number one in the world. Their chances in the World Cup are very great. They are one of the favourites to win the World Cup,” Hassan said.
“We want to take advantage of the experience. Our hope is huge. Playing against the strong allows you to gain experience.
“We want to give a good image of Egyptian football. We have great players for that. This game is a risk for us, but we will not fear the opponent. I admire Spanish football and its clubs. We hope to play a great game.
“We have come to try to play at the level of Spain. It is a test for Belgium, Iran and New Zealand, who are in our group at the World Cup.
“Everyone thinks that Spain will win easily, but it won’t be like that… Let’s hope we win tomorrow.”
Table of Contents
Team news for Spain v Egypt
Spain midfielder Martin Zubimendi will not feature in this game, having returned to Arsenal due to discomfort in his knee.
Salah is the most notable absentee for either side. The 33-year-old, who will leave Anfield at the end of the season, is unavailable for Egypt due to a muscle injury.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: 101greatgoals.com
