Egypt are out for a victory over Libya in Benghazi in Monday's clash, their second meeting in three days, to move closer to a place in the final two-legged playoff of the World Cup qualifiers.
The Pharaohs settled their nerves when they secured a narrow 1-0 home victory over their North African neighbors on Friday, thanks to a second-half screamer from Stuttgart's on-loan winger Omar Marmoush, who was making his debut.
The win saw Egypt overtake Libya with a one-point lead on top of Group F, with another victory likely to put them in pole position to obtain the group's solitary ticket to the playoff.
Egypt have seven points from three matches, with Libya on six, Angola on three and Gabon on one.
Libya proved a tough nut to track against Egypt in Alexandria, with their resolute defensive display restricting their illustrious opponents to a few goal-scoring chances throughout.
Javier Clemente's men will have to adopt a
more adventurous approach on Monday though, with Egypt expected to rely on
breakaways to grab another victory.
"Now that we are leading the group,
we got to fight until the end to keep this position and move to the next
step," Egypt's Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz said.
Marmoush, who was a surprise inclusion in Egypt's starting line-up for Friday's encounter, is likely to retain his place on the left, with Liverpool star Mohamed Salah occupying the other flank.
Source: Al-Ahram Online
