Ghana vs Egypt: Black Stars predicted starting XI

Ghana will come up face to face with the Pharaohs of Egypt for the first time since 2017 and the fourth time in the African Cup of Nations, AFCON. This will be their first meeting since the last match which resulted in a draw in Kumasi. Ghana vs Egypt is poised to be the top liner in the group as predicted by many following the draw. It even now has more essence than before due to their respective terrible start to the tournament.

While Ghana vs Egypt is rarely a regular fixture in Africa despite their contact presence in the competition since its inception, the few times they met have been epic. Aside from the 2017 group stage encounter which ended 1-0 for EGypt thanks to Mohammed Salah’s 11th minute goal, the AFCON 2010 final is still fresh in memory when Ghana lost that final by a solitary goal in Angola.

Andre Ayew remains the only member from the memorable night who is in this squad. As captain, he will want to lead his team far. But Ghana had a false start to the tournament after losing to minnows Cape Verde. Egypt dropped points in their opening match as well making this contest a must-win for each side.

Ghana coach Chris Hughton has so far not been able to establish an identity with his team thus making it difficult to predict his starting XI. To the surprise of everyone he handed a starting berth to 22-year-old Hamburger SV winger Ransford-Yeboah Königsdörffer; a decision that backfired. So who are the men Chris Hughton would trust to salvage the situation for him in this epic Ghana vs Egypt?

Check out our prediction below.

Goalkeeper

Not many changes are expected though Chris Hughton may be forced to make changes for this crucial match. Richard Ofori did fairly well though he could have done better to prevent both goals, especially the opener. He is expected to not suffer a rotation and thus maintain his place.

Right-back

Denis Odoi is not the speedy full-back Ghana was looking for in Tariq Lamptey but he does a decent job of keeping things clean. He might have trouble dealing with Trezeguet but his experience will count highly in his favour though Alidu Seidu is eagerly waiting for his chance to make his AFCON debut.

Centre-back

Alexander Djiku stood out tall among the 16 Ghanaian players who played in the match. He scored the only goal for the Black Stars and made crucial last clearances that ensured Ghana left the pitch with marginal defeat. Without his proactiveness and tireless runs up and down the defence, leadership and timing, Ghana would have ultimately conceded more. It was no mean effort that he won the Man of the Match. He is undroppable.

Centre-back

Dropping Salisu is a hard call to make but everyone who knows the towering centre-back would know he was off the pace and played without his full self. We can’t fault him because he is just returning from injury. Salisu has only played three matches for Monaco this season since switching from Southampton.

He is not 100 per cent right now and with dangerous forwards such as Salah coming against the Stars, Chris Hughton would be thinking about his options. We are opting for Daniel Amartey. The Besiktas defender was an unused substitute against Cape Verde but is expected to be called upon to deal with the challenge from the experienced Egyptian frontline.

Left-back

Gideon Mensah will maintain this position largely due to the lack of experienced cover. Baba Rahman has always been the preferred option at left-back for Ghana but he excused himself from the tournament for personal reasons. Maybe he is just tired of the constant backlash from the unforgiving Ghanaian fans. Gideon Mensah who many hail as a better option to the Tamale-born former Chelse defender is not as efficient defensively as his colleague. However, as stated before, there is no experienced option available.

Abdul Fatawu Hamid is the other natural left-side defender in the team but he has not played any important games with the team. Chris Hughton would be wary of making gambles after his gamble with Ransford Yeboah failed in the opening match. Gideon Mensah should thus maintain his place in the highly anticipated Ghana vs Egypt encounter today.

Defensive midfield

Salis Abdul Samed should come in straight into the lineup to replace Baba Iddrisu. The RC Lens midfielder will add more grit to the midfield in the absence of Thomas Partey. Iddrisu looked frustrated and out of sorts against Cape Verde and his work rate was not impressive enough as Ghana lost control of the middle of the park. Salis came on in the second half but had little time to impact the game.

The Almeira man is also a bit of an aggressor and any rush tackles as he did against Cape Verde could be consequential, thus the more disciplined Salis should lead in this match. So despite coming from the bench against Cape Verde, we are betting on him starting in Ghana vs Egypt today.

Central midfield

Majeed Ashimeru was not at his best but he discharged himself well against Cape Verde. However, he was caught napping on the job on several occasions. While Richmond Lamptey could be called upon to replace Ashimeru, the Anderlecht midfielder should be able to offer an improved performance than his previous outing.

Attacking midfield

Joseph Paintsil should shift into attacking midfield. Mohammed Kudus should be the right man for the position but in his absence, Ransford-Yeboah Königsdörffer started but he could not perform well in his AFCON debut.

Right winger

Ernest Nuamah. The Lyon winger came on in the second half when there was less than half of an hour to play. But he discharged himself well using his pace to torment the opposition defenders. Combining his speed from the wings and Joseph Paintsil’s from the middle would create a devasting flow. This is especially great when Ghana is playing into open spaces seeking to counter.

Left winger

Jordan Ayew will maintain his spot in the team for this all-important match. He has often played as a centre-forward for the national team and also regularly as a right-winger. Recently, he has practically made the left-wing role his own, sometimes switching play depending on who is on the other side.

There is no natural left-winger in the team as Kamaldeen Sulemana is absent. His ball-holding capabilities and link-up play as well as set pieces could come very handy against the Egyptians.

Striker

Antione Semenyo did not score against Cape Verde but his work rate was phenomenal. His linkup with his teammates was very out of place and he would have to work that out. The constant pressing and pace could be used to break up the defence. Pressure from his pressing could earn vital free-kicks at promising positions. Otherwise, Inaki Williams should be given the nod.

While making changes in crucial moments like these can cause problems for the team, a Ghana vs Egypt match is not one for the faint-hearted. Thus, the Black Stars need players would will go all out and push for a win for the team. We also are predicting a close result in this Ghana vs Egypt game. We, however, expect the Black Stars to earn maximum points ahead of their North African rivals.