2019 International Friendly - Egypt vs Botswana Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is Egypt vs Botswana taking place? Monday 14th October, 2019 – 18:00 (UK)
Where is Egypt vs Botswana taking place? Borg El Arab Stadium, Alexandria
What television channel is Egypt vs Botswana on? Egypt vs Botswana will not be televised live in the UK
Where can I stream Egypt vs Botswana? N/A
Where can I get tickets for Egypt vs Botswana? N/A
THE TEAM NEWS
EGYPT
- Egypt face Botswana in their first match since their unsuccessful 2019 African Cup of Nations campaign on home soil in the summer that ended with a 1-0 defeat against South Africa in the round of 16.
- This game, which has been moved from Cairo to Alexandria due to safety reasons, heralds the start of a new era, with former Al Ahly coach Hossam El-Badry taking charge of the team for the first time since succeeding Javier Aguirre who was sacked after the aforementioned disappointing AFCON tournament.
- Egypt’s star player Mohamed Salah is rested for this match and did not join up with the squad, the coach also left out the players who are eligible for the under-23 African Cup of Nations tournament next month. The vastly experienced Ahmed Fathi has been given the captain's armband having returned to the team after not featuring for Egypt for more than a year
BOTSWANA
- Botswana travelled to Egypt with a 23-man squad last Monday for a week long training camp as they prepare for the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers which start in November.
- It has been a disappointing start so far for new Botswana coach Adel Amrouche, who took charge of the team in August, after an early exit from the World Cup qualifiers against Malawi where they lost 1-0 on aggregate.
- The defeat against Malawi was followed by a 0-0 draw against Liberia in their latest friendly match in late September when the coach made wholesale changes to the squad and axed a handful of players for drinking after losing the qualifier against Malawi.
THE PREDICTION
This may be just a friendly match but it does take on some importance for both nations with new coaches aiming to take a good look at their options as they plan ahead of the upcoming AFCON qualifiers. Botswana’s coach is already feeling some heat after losing in the World Cup qualifiers and there is some hope that a good week in preparation for this match will improve team morale. Egypt might be without their talisman Mohamed Salah but they should still have enough quality to ensure victory against a Botswana team that do struggle to score goals, so a 2-0 outcome is the prediction.
