•History could be in the making but only if Kenya pulls an upset to petrify the highly rated Pharaohs.
•It's a perfect opportunity for Harambee Stars to embalm and preserve the spooky skeletons that have haunted them out of their senses on the pitch over the years.
Image: ERICK BARASA
Kenyans are crossing their fingers anxiously as the dreaded mummies return to haunt the nation tonight.
The Egyptian national team, led by their coach Hossam El-Badry, are already proudly swaying their hips in town, as they limber up for their crunch Afcon qualifier match against Harambee Stars at Moi Stadium, Kasarani.
Their plane touched down at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on Tuesday afternoon amidst deafening applause from their ecstatic fans. They then booked themselves in at a popular five star hotel right at the heart of Nairobi Central Business District.
History could be in the making but only if Kenya pull an upset to petrify the highly-rated Pharaohs.
It's a perfect opportunity for Harambee Stars to embalm and preserve the spooky skeletons that have haunted them out of their senses on the pitch over the years. But can Stars successfully lay claim to Pharaoh's scalp?
Indeed, as much as this is a do-or-die battle for the host nation, the North Africans aren't losing any sleep over it. They have vanquished the East African nation 14 times in all their twenty previous encounters, Kenya having only beaten them once and held them five times.
Even though, Egypt have not won the Nations Cup since clinching the last of their record seven titles in 2010, they most certainly enjoy a better head-to-head record against Kenya.
The two nations first drew the battle lines on October 31, 1972, in an international friendly where Kenya emerged with eggs on the face, after crushing 1-0.
And the last time the teams teased each other to another duel in an African Cup of Nations qualifier on November 14, 2019, it all ended in one-all draw. In between the battles, the Stars have been futile in their efforts to rise to the sweet sniff of victory.
The past statistics notwithstanding, Harambee Stars head coach Jacob 'Ghost' Mulee possesses none of the classic wheeler-dealer's casual bravado going into the match.
Mulee mustered up enough courage on Tuesday to warn the North Africans of an impending storm that could sink their ship.
The veteran tactician is, however, alive to the reality he's chest thumping at a nation that boasts of Liverpool ace striker Mohammed Salah, Arsenal defensive midfielder Mohamed Elneny and Aston Villa's Mahmoud Ahmed Ibrahim Hassan commonly known as Trézéguet.
Out of 26 matches Salah has played in the 2020/21 English Premier League season, he has scored 17 goals, had 38 shots on target from a total of 65 shots. He averages 36 passes per match with a pass completion rate of 85%, and has 3 assists. Salah has 43 international goals in 68 appearances.
Elneny, who has played 12 matches this season, averages 44 passes per match with a pass completion rate of 93 per cent. On the other hand, Kenya's key striker Michael Olunga has played in 6 matches for Al Duhail SC this season, scoring three goals.
The Stars' striking force suffered a huge setback on Wednesday when the country's top tier leading scorer Eric Kapaito collected a hamstring injury in training.
Egypt are sitting pretty on top of Group 'G' with eight points, and only need a draw tonight or a win at home against Comoros to consolidate their berth in Cameroon next year.
After being held to a shock 1-1 home draw by Kenya in their opening qualifier in November 2019, the Pharaohs dropped points in another 0-0 stalemate with Comoros before they ultimately recovered with two home and away wins over Togo.