Egypt coach Carlos Queiroz
Doha: Egypt coach Carlos Queiroz has warned his ranks that Sudan could be dangerous opponents as the two sides meet in Group D of the FIFA Arab Cup at the Stadium 974, today.
The Pharaohs opened their tournament with a narrow 1-0 victory over Lebanon through Mohamed Magdy Afsha’s strike. Sudan had a start to forget as they got thrashed by Algeria 4-0 in their first match.
However, Queiroz rated Sudan as a dangerous side, saying the African side can do well in the counter attacks.
“Sudan have good quality players and we will try to improve our performance,” the Portuguese coach told reporters yesterday while rejecting speculations that he criticised his players following the opening match.
Queiroz said the team’s immediate focus is on getting good result against Sudan.
“We have to play well against Sudan and we have to entertain our fans. We are working on increasing pass accuracy to play better, but we are not playing PlayStation, it’s not an instant process. The game against Sudan will be difficult, but we are ready for it,” Queiroz concluded.
Egyptian midfielder Amr El Sulya praised Qatar’s organisation of the ongoing FIFA Arab Cup.
“The stadiums are amazing, the whole event’s organisation is perfect. It’s a great experience before the FIFA World Cup,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sudan coach Hubert Velud has stressed his team must return with an improved performance by rectifying mistakes from the opening match.
“I have told my players how important the match is. We have four or five experienced players in our group, which mostly consists of youngsters. This factor will contribute to building a developed team for the future. The defeat against Algeria will be a lesson that can benefit this team,” Velud said yesterday.
“We have to improve our fitness level against Egypt as the Sudanese league was suspended for more than two weeks and the national team did not participate in any preparatory matches,” he added.
