Prediction: Egypt vs Malawi

Date: Friday, 24th March

Time: 7pm GMT

Prediction: Egypt win

It’s time to dive into the chaos of another international break and today, we’ll be taking a look at the qualification phase for the Africa Cup of Nations. We’re less than a year away from the 2023 (technically 2024) edition of the event, which is set to go down in Côte d’Ivoire. On Friday, Group D will come back to life as Egypt and Malawi attempt to take a big step towards AFCON qualification.

Egypt

They failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in heartbreaking circumstances and they’ve finished as runners-up in two of the last three AFCON tournaments. Still, this is one of the most successful African nations of all time we’re talking about, and they have a true talisman in Mohamed Salah at their disposal. Before they can get excited, though, they first need to navigate their way through what looks to be a tricky qualification group.

Malawi

They’ve never qualified for the World Cup and they’ve only qualified for two of the last seven AFCON tournaments. Alas, after finishing up in the round of 16 back in the 2021 edition, Malawi seem more prepared than ever to make another run. They’ve got a young squad at their disposal and the fans seem to believe this could be something of a mini golden generation – so long as they continue to get the right development.

Factors to Consider

• In their overall head-to-head, Egypt leads Malawi 5-3 with two draws.
• Egypt have won four and lost two of their last six games.
• Malawi have won one, drawn three and lost two of their last six games.
• Egypt have scored 10 goals and conceded seven in their last six games.
• Malawi have scored six goals and conceded six in their last six games.

Conclusion

Malawi will do their best to keep things tight at the back, especially considering how tight the group is right now. We aren’t so sure they’ll have too much to offer on the counter, either, which could lead us down the path of a fairly dull encounter. With that being said, we do think the Egyptians will have enough in the tank to overcome their opponents, edging out a narrow 1-0 win.

It’s not the kind of emphatic victory that’ll leave anyone awestruck, but at the very least, it’ll get them back on the right path.

Date: Friday, 24th March

Time: 7pm GMT

Prediction: Egypt win