Congo vs. Egypt AFCON clash sparks controversy in Kinshasa: Analyzing teams’ form and expectations

The controversy is in full swing in Kinshasa surrounding the upcoming encounter between the Leopards of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the Pharaohs of Egypt in the round of 16 on January 28th. Regarding the upcoming match against Egypt, some residents of Kinshasa believe that the Pharaohs are not in good form and will struggle against the Leopards of the DRC, who possess a lot of individual talent.

They argue that the teammates of Mohamed Salah did not play well during the round of 16.

Additionally, the unavailability of Mohamed Salah is seen as a significant blow, greatly affecting the team’s performance.

Others, recalling that the Leopards had a poor performance with numerous missed goals in recent matches, suggest that they should change their approach and aim to trouble the opponent by scoring goals.

They acknowledge that Sébastien Désabre has a good team, but his players need to work on their finishing.

The Congolese, who drew against Zambia (1-1) before repeating the performance against Morocco, are currently in the second position in their group.

Similarly, the Pharaohs, without their captain, secured qualification for the next round with 3 points, thanks in part to a draw (2-2) against Ghana.

Having defeated Zambia 1-0 at the San Pedro Stadium, Morocco (5 points) leads Group F, followed by the DRC (3 points). Zambia and Tanzania are third in the standings with 2 points each.

The DRC and Egypt have previously met twice in the knockout stages of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

The recent Wednesday encounter between the Leopards took place in the context of the third matchday of Group F at the Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium in Korhobo, ending in a goalless draw. Meanwhile, Morocco is set to face South Africa on the same Sunday.