Egypt coach Rui Vitoria has preached caution over the Pharaohs’ hopes of ending their TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations drought, despite naming a star-studded squad for this month’s tournament.
The Portuguese manager stressed Egypt must take it “game by game” when the tournament kicks off on January 13th in Cote d’Ivoire
“We will treat each game as a final,” Vitoria declared as he has named a squad containing Liverpool ace Mohamed Salah and Arsenal midfielder Mohamed Elneny.
Egypt are record seven-time Afcon winners but have not lifted the trophy since their 2010 triumph in Angola.
They finished runners-up in the last edition, with Salah part of the side beaten by Senegal in February’s final.
But asked if Egypt enter as favourites this time around, Vitoria said: “We must go game by game.”
The Pharaohs take on Ghana, Cape Verde and Mozambique in Group B as they aim to banish the pain of recent near misses.
Vitoria will hope Salah can inspire Egypt to another continental crown after he joined the squad in their training camp.
The prolific forward offers an obvious threat having established himself as one of Africa’s greatest ever footballers.
But Vitoria is taking nothing for granted, knowing Egypt must hit the ground running against their tricky group opponents.
The Portuguese is clearly cautious over talking up Egypt’s chances despite their glittering history and talent-packed squad.
Vitoria seems intent on keeping expectations in check as the Pharaohs plot the perfect path out of Group B en route to TotalEnergies CAF AFCON glory.
