Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly believes the Teranga Lions have what it takes to overcome Egypt when the two sides meet in a high-stakes semi-final clash at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
The heavyweight encounter is scheduled for Wednesday at the Grand Stade de Tanger, with a place in the final on the line.
Senegal booked their semi-final spot after edging past Mali in the quarter-finals, while Egypt also advanced following a dramatic 3-2 victory over Côte d’Ivoire.
Speaking ahead of the match, Koulibaly acknowledged Egypt’s pedigree but expressed strong confidence in his team’s ability to prevail.
“We know the Egyptian national team very well, and they are a very experienced team. They deserve to be here,” the centre-back said. “It will be a difficult match, but we know that we are capable of upsetting them; we have done so before and we will do it again.”
Koulibaly stressed the importance of focus and discipline against a side he described as ruthless when given opportunities.
“In every match, you must be at your peak concentration from the beginning. We know the strength of this Egyptian team, which is capable of punishing you if you make any mistake at any moment,” he noted. “But we will play our way and we will try to exploit their mistakes.”
