Zimbabwe set for crunch test against Egypt

Zimbabwe face the tough task of taking on heavyweights Egypt in their opening match in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, with the clash set for the Adrar Stadium in Agadir on the evening of Monday, 22 December. Kick-off is at 10pm CAT.

Egypt and Zimbabwe have been drawn alongside South Africa and Angola in group B at the latest edition of the continental tournament.

The two nations met in the opening matches of the 2004 and 2019 Afcon showpieces, both of which were won by Egypt.

While Egypt are unbeaten in their last 10 matches against Zimbabwe, the Pharaohs have also scored at least two goals in five of their last six matches against the Warriors.

Egypt will go into their first Afcon game on the back of a 2-1 win over Nigeria in a friendly match that took place on 16 December, while Zimbabwe last featured in a 2-1 victory against Qatar in an international friendly that concluded on 17 November.

Egypt star Omar Marmoush made headlines in African media during the last week, when he claimed that his country has what it takes to win both the Afcon and Fifa World Cup.

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“We’ll win the African Cup of Nations, of course, and then we’ll win the World Cup,” Marmoush told the Man City website.

“We want to show ourselves in a good way, and we can dream of winning the tournament too, or of reaching a certain stage. We’re not going just to make a name for ourselves.”

HEAD-TO-HEAD

Matches: 14

Egypt wins: 8

Zimbabwe wins: 2

Draws: 4