In the first of their mouth-watering 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying double-header, Egypt welcome Malawi to Cairo's 30 June Stadium on Friday.
With all four teams in Group D tied on three points, both sides will head into the weekend looking to get into the catbird seat as they look to secure their spot in Ivory Coast.
Match preview
© Reuters
Having missed out on the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the goal for Egypt will be to secure their place in the 2023 AFCON and make it a record-extending 26th participation in the continental showpiece.
The Pharaohs saw their World Cup dreams dashed by a bogey Senegal side who clinched the qualification ticket courtesy of a 3-1 win on penalties after a 1-1 draw over the two legs of the playoffs.
This was a second bitter taste of "what could have been" for Rui Vitoria's men, who also suffered a penalty-shootout defeat to Senegal in the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations final in Cameroon last February
Now looking forward, Egypt have set their sights on a fourth consecutive AFCON appearance since missing out on the continental tournament between 2012 and 2015.
The African footballing powerhouse kicked off their qualifying campaign last June when Mostafa Mohamed's solitary strike handed them a 1-0 win over Guinea, four days before crashing back to earth in a shock 2-0 loss to Ethiopia.
With 12 points still up for grabs in Group D, there is plenty of room for optimism for Egypt, who are currently the most decorated side in AFCON history with seven continental crowns under their belt.
Vitoria's side also head into the weekend on a fine run of form, winning each of their last three matches while scoring eight goals and conceding once since last June's 4-1 friendly loss to South Korea.
© Reuters
However, we do not expect Malawi to be easily run over as the Southeastern nation have shown intent on securing two back-to-back AFCON appearances for the very first time.
Making their first appearance in over a decade, the Flames finished as one of the four best losers in Cameroon last year, before their tournament was cut short in the quarter-finals courtesy of a 2-1 loss to Morocco.
Malawi's form ahead of their return to the qualifiers has nothing to write home about though as they failed to qualify for the 2022 Africa Nations Championships last August after losing to Mozambique on away goals.
This followed an even more disappointing outing in last year's COSAFA Cup for all Southern African nations, where they managed one win and picked up four points from a possible nine to finish third in Group B.
Like Egypt, a place in the 2023 AFCON remains up for grabs for Mario Marinica's men, who also have three points from their opening two matches, thanks to a 2-1 opening-day victory over Ethiopia on June 5.
Malawi will draw inspiration from their form in the AFCON qualifiers as they are currently on a run of three wins in their last four qualifying matches, stretching back to a goalless draw with Burkina Faso in November 2020.
However, they must see off the threat of a star-studded Egypt side who are unbeaten in seven of the last 10 between the nations, claiming five wins and two draws since their first meeting in July 1978.
Team News
© Reuters
Without a doubt, Liverpool star Mohamed Salah headlines Egypt's 24-man squad for the double-header and the two-time African Player of the Year will certainly be one to keep an eye on.
Mohamed has also delivered when called upon in attack and the Nantes striker, who has six goals in the Ligue 1 this season, will push for a starting role.
The Pyramids defensive trio of Ali Gabr, Osama Galal and Mohamed Hamdy have also been handed call-ups, while Midtjylland midfielder Emam Ashour will be looking to impress on Friday.
Meanwhile, Marinica has called up an experienced 25-man squad to the Flames' camp, including 34-year-old Chiukepo Msowoya, who is the most capped player on the roster with 89 senior appearances.
The former Orlando Pirates striker has found the target 22 times in the nation's colours and will be tasked with spearheading the visitors' attack, alongside Stain Davie and fellow veteran Micium Mhone.
At the defensive end of the pitch, Silver Striker goalkeeper Charles Thomu should start between the sticks, while we expect an unchanged centre-back pairing of Lawrence Chaziya and Gomezgani Chirwa, who started the opening two qualifying matches.
Egypt possible starting lineup:
Gabal; Gaber, Hamdi, Ashraf; Ashour, Afsha, El-Solia, Fathi; Salah, Mohamed, Zizo
Malawi possible starting lineup:
Thom; Sanudi, Chaziya, Chembezi, Chirwa; Idana, Banda, Madinga; Davie, Mhone, Msowoya
We say: Egypt 2-0 Malawi
Even overlooking their home advantage, Egypt head into the weekend on a fine run of form, giving them an extra edge. Malawi must pull one out of the hat if they hope to cause an upset, but we see the hosts prevailing in what should be a thrilling affair.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Joshua Ojele
