JUBA, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan head coach Christian N'Sengi-Biembe expressed confidence in his team's ability to pull off a major upset against Egypt in its upcoming 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Group B qualifier, scheduled for Tuesday in Juba.
N'Sengi-Biembe said his squad was well-prepared to face the seven-time AFCON champion as it looks to bounce back from a 2-1 away defeat to Malawi on September 25.
"The most important thing is that my players are really strong mentally. If you want to be the best in Africa, you have to play against the best, and we need to prepare for that," he said during a press conference in Juba on Monday.
N'Sengi-Biembe stressed the importance of a disciplined collective performance to avoid the individual lapses that contributed to the defeat against Malawi in South Sudan's opening match.
Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan said his squad was well-prepared and confident of securing a win despite the absence of star forward Mohamed Salah.
Salah was rested as a precautionary measure to protect him from potential injury on the artificial turf at Juba National Stadium.
"The match against South Sudan is going to be very important because Egypt and South Sudan are sisterly countries. We will be playing a very friendly match," Hassan said.
Malawi leads Group B with three points, followed by Egypt and Angola, who are tied on one point each, while South Sudan sits at the bottom of the table without a point. ■
