Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane will play out the second episode of their international rivalry when they contest FIFA World Cup Qualification next month.
The pair have already faced off this year in the African Cup of Nations final as Mane secured victory for Senegal netting the decisive kick in the shootout.
Senegal went into the AFCON final tie as heavy favourites but found it difficult to break down the Pharaohs compact structure.
Egypt’s mostly domestic based side provided an intense physical battle, as they set out to frustrate their opponents breaking up the play at each opportunity.
A similar affair is expected for the World Cup Qualifier as Carlos Quieroz will seek to ensure the game remains tight with a resilient deep block in the hope Mohamed Salah will produce in transition.
Egypt in their current state are not the greatest African team in terms of quality but this years AFCON has shown that regardless they are one of the toughest teams to face on the continent.
@AfricanInsider from Twitter told MerseySportLive: “Over 2 legs, Egypt have the upper hand for sure”.
“Queiroz is the absolute master of game management, as an acolyte of the grandmaster Ferguson himself.”
The African Football expert added: “It’s an unfortunate match-up with both teams of world cup quality; so it’s genuinely hard to call. If Egypt win the first leg they’re through in my opinion.”
The fact one of Senegal or Egypt will miss out on a spot at the World Cup is a remarkable outcome which was a result of the random playoff draw.
Some may question whether the winner of the African Cup of Nations should be awarded World Cup Qualification to avoid circumstances where a heavyweight of the continent is guaranteed to miss out.
The two-legged affair will be an intense occasion as Salah seeks to enact revenge on his club colleague.
