Egypt coach Carlos Queiroz and defender Amr El Soleya during a press conference yesterday.
Egypt coach Carlos Queiroz has played down the favourites tag as The Pharaohs gear up for their FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021 quarter-finals match against Jordan today at the Al Janoub Stadium.
The North Africans qualified as Group D leaders after drawing 1-1 with Algeria but edged their continental rivals on fair play. However, they face a tough-fighting Jordan for a chance at the semi-finals, and Queiroz believes Jordan are favourites and would be a difficult opponent.
“Nobody qualifies for the quarter-finals without a good reason. They (Jordan) did it with merit, and they have their main team. They prepared for the tournament with six friendly games, so this makes them being here with a full team the favourites for this game theoretically. But when the game starts, it would be 50/50 because we have good players too,” Queiroz said.
“We are happy and proud to be here. We are looking forward to the game and will try to play our best. We are playing against a very organized team with the same dream as us. I hope we are inspired to be better than them.
We desire to be in the semis, and we are one step to achieving that, which makes us motivated. These last two days, we have worked hard, and we know that Jordan is a much better team than two or three years ago.”
The veteran Portuguese coach stressed that his side must show maximum concentration in the knockout stage.
“This is different from the group stage, and we have had three matches to get here, but now the winner takes all, which is a completely different story.
The winner would have to give 90 minutes of its best capacity. There’s no tomorrow and no excuses in this period,” he added.
The 1992 champions will be without defenders Ahmed Hegazy and Ayman Ashraf due to injury. Defender Amr El Soleya also emphasized that the players learn with each match and must put in a perfect performance against a solid Jordanian team.
“All the players after the three matches felt we performed well, and we are gaining more confidence. If we are content, we can’t be successful. We can’t afford to be lax tomorrow because the winner takes all. We have our aims, and they have theirs, and I think it would be difficult for both teams,” Soleya said.
However, Jordan will be without several players due to COVID-19 protocols and injuries. Coach Adnan Hamad who has been at the helm for just over five months, said his side are mentally ready.
“I think we are mentally ready, which is important before a match like this. The knockout stage is always different. We face a difficult situation with injuries and some coronavirus cases, but I trust the players,” Hamad said.
“Of course, the quarter-finals are different compared to the group stage. We aimed to reach the quarter-finals before the tournament, and now we are here, but we have to be prepared mentally and seize opportunities we have so we can reach the semi-finals,” he added.
The 60-year-old Iraqi also dismissed claims that Jordan would play with a defensive mindset due to their injury crisis.
“We won’t be defensive, but we will play a little bit different. The players have potential and are experienced enough to adapt. The main objective was to get past the group stage, and I think we will play tomorrow (today) without pressure. We have 90 minutes to play, so we can’t play all defensive in a game that might go to extra time, so we have to consider that.”
Hamad also stressed Jordan are on a good path and would be focused on getting to the Asian Cup in 2023 despite heavy criticisms from Jordanian fans and the media.
“Criticism represents a small group of people, and we are not bothered by social media criticism. I believe the team is respected by Jordanians everywhere. We are on a good track and have planted good seeds so far and we want to qualify for the 2023 Asian Cup. I trust in my young players who have performed so well, and it is an achievement to us,” Hamad said.
The winner of the match will face Tunisia at Stadium 974 on Wednesday.
