unisia players take part in a training session ahead of their FIFA Arab Cup semi-final against Egypt.
Doha: Tunisia left-back Ali Maaloul joined the team’s training after missing three matches, the Tunisian Football Federation announced. The 31-year-old Maaloul reportedly picked up an abductor muscle injury during Egypt’s opening FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021 match against Mauritania.
The star of Egypt side Al Ahly is now in line to face Egypt in the Arab Cup semi-finals on Wednesday at Stadium 974.
Maaloul brings more options for coach Mondher El Kabir after Hamza Mathlouthi and Yasin Chikhaoui rejoined the Carthage Eagles.
Montassar Talbi also trained with the squad yesterday, the Tunisian football body announced on its social media channel.
Meanwhile, El Kabir said he’s satisfied with the players returning to the side as they prepare for a difficult derby against North African rivals Egypt.
The 51-year-old El Kabir had earlier in the tournament said The Eagles aim to win the competition.
However, a shock loss to Syria in their second group match seemed to dent their charge.
Though they bounced back against the UAE and consequently Oman in the quarters, Tunisia know a challenging task awaits them tomorrow.
Both teams are no strangers to each other and have met 33 times - Egypt have 11 wins, and Tunisia have 14 wins. Both have drawn eight times.
Egypt players take part in a training session yesterday.
Meanwhile, the Egyptian team resumed training yesterday after taking Sunday off.
The training was held in two phases; the first included exercises inside the “gym,” and the second phase included group exercises inside the stadium.
During the second phase, Ahmed Hegazy, Mohamed El-Shennawy, Hamdi Fathy, and Ayman Ashraf continued their recovery.
The former West Brom defender Hegazy is recovering from a back injury, while Ashraf suffered a knock to his knee. Goalkeeper El-Shenawy and Fathi are doubts for the semis but will be reassessed.
Egypt beat a strong Jordan in extra time, with many players cementing their claim for a spot in the final team for the African Cup of Nations next year.
Besides, playmaker Mohamed Magdy Afsha stated that Egypt could realize its dream of winning the Arab Cup for the fans while praising the organizers for putting up a fantastic tournament. He stressed that the players are grateful to the fans who have supported them since they came to Qatar, which makes everyone determined to carry on until the end.
“Apart from performance and skills, the team has played in the tournament with personality and spirit, which are the traits that helped the team reach the semi-finals,” he added.
On the Tunisia clash, Afsha said, “We are concentrating on the semi-finals, which will also be difficult, but we will fight to win and qualify for the final.”
