Egypt vs Algeria: Predicted lineup, injury news, head-to-head, telecast

Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium set to host Egypt and Algeria for a friendly

Egypt National football team will once again set foot at the United Arab Emirates's Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium for an international friendly. This will be their second friendly on this ground in the October international break window. The first one proved to be a difficult one for The Pharaohs. Rui Vitória's side needed a late effort in the added time to snatch a 1-0 win against Zambia.

Algeria is all set to take part in a friendly encounter against The Pharaohs. They are coming into this game on the back of a commendable 5-1 victory against Cape Verde. Both sides topped their respective 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier groups in September and will next go into World Cup qualifiers in the November break after this friendly.

Kick-Off:

Monday, 16 October 2023 at 5:00 PM BST (9:30 PM IST)

Location: Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium

Form

Egypt (in all competitions): W-L-W-W-W

Algeria (in all competitions): W-W-D-D-W

Players to Watch

Mohamed Salah (Egypt)

In the summer transfer window, Mohamed Salah was making headlines as Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad were eager to capture his signature. Liverpool were able to keep Salah at Anfield. The 31-year-old remains a key player for The Reds having made 9 goal contributions in 8 Premier League games this season.

Houssem Aouar (Algeria)

After growing from the youth system of Olympique Lyon to its first team, Houssem Aouar finally said goodbyes to his club in the summer. Aouar decided to make a switch after José Mourinho led AS Roma came calling. In the Serie A, the midfielder has scored 2 goals in 6 appearances under Mourinho. He even scored a brace in the last friendly against Cape Verde for Algeria.

Match Facts

• The last time both teams faced each other was back in 2021 December. The game ended in a 1-1 draw
• The Pharaohs won 9 fixtures in their last 10 games. The only loss was recorded against Tunisia in the September break
• Algeria are on a 7 game unbeaten run themselves and also scored 5 past Cape Verde in the last match

Injury & Team News for Egypt vs Algeria

Portuguese football manager Rui Vitória would be wary of the fact that Algeria netted five goals in the last outing. But as this game is friendly, we can expect the same team fielding in a 3-4-3 formation. Salah will try to create problems from the right wing. Mohamed Elneny hasn't even played a minute for Arsenal under Mikel Arteta in PL this season but continues to be an important player for his national side.

For the Algerian national team, Aouar should be one hundred per cent the first choice to start after his brace. Head coach Djamel Belmadi could be seen deploying the 4-3-3 once again after a 5-1 victory in the last friendly. Riyad Mahrez is seen in the midfield rather than the usual winger position we have seen him play for Manchester City and now Al Ahli Saudi at club level.

Head to Head

Total Matches – 6

Egypt wins – 2

Algeria wins – 3

Draws – 1

Predicted Lineup

Egypt predicted lineup (3-4-3):

El Shenawy (GK); Gabr, Abdelmonem, Fotouh; Hamed, Fathi, Elneny, Hany; Salah, Mohamed, Trezeguet

Algeria predicted lineup (4-3-3):

Mandrea (GK); Mandi, Touba, Attal, Bensebaini; Aouar, Zerrouki, Mahrez; Amoura, Gouiri, Slimani

Match Prediction for Egypt vs Algeria

With both national sides scheduled to participate in their respective 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier openers on 13 November, none would want an injury of course to end the October break. The Egypt side found it very hard to beat Zambia while Algeria were marching with confidence in the 5-1 win over Cape Verde. There isn't much to separate but with recent strong performance, Algeria could get a close win in this friendly tie against The Pharaohs.

Prediction: Egypt 1-2 Algeria