Egypt will have no other option but to win against Mali if they are to retain their qualifying chances for the U-23 Africa Cup of Nations’ semis when both teams clash at Mbour’s Stade Caroline Faye in the Group B final round on Saturday.

Following 1-1 and 2-2 draws with Algeria and Nigeria respectively, Egypt will now be eyeing a win over already-eliminated Mali to stand a chance of securing a Nations Cup top-three finish to reach next Summer’s Olympic Games for the second time running.

A victory over Mali, however, may not see Egypt march directly to the semi-finals should Algeria and Nigeria, who top the group level on four points, draw in the other group game.

If Algeria and Nigeria were to play out a draw, Egypt will be just hoping it would be either a goalless stalemate or a 1-1 scoreline, as a 2-2 draw may jeopardize the Pharaohs’ qualification chances.

Meanwhile, a 3-3 draw between Egypt’s group rivals would see Hossam El-Badri’s men wave goodbye to the competition from the first round.  

 “We have no other option but to win,” U-23 Egypt boss El-Badri said in the pre-match press conference.

“There are three teams (Egypt, Algeria and Nigeria) vying fiercely for just two semifinal spots.

“Mali are not expected to be pushovers; they will be looking to spare their blushes after failing to bag a single point in two games.”

Mali opened their campaign with a 3-2 defeat to Nigeria, which saw the former score two goals after falling 3-0, before another 2-0 loss to Algeria saw the Desert Foxes wait till the 73^rd minute to break the deadlock.

Former Ahly boss El-Badri this time will be hoping to avoid further poor refereeing decisions going against his side, having borne the brunt of two dubious penalties that gave Nigeria a two-goal first-half lead on Wednesday.

He will be looking to evoke his side’s combative second-half performance against the Super Eagles, which saw the Egyptians stage a comeback to draw 2-2.

But a highly-spirited performance may not be enough, as El-Badri will need to find a solution to Egypt’s defense and midfield issues, epitomized by his lack of decisiveness regarding Rami Rabia’s position.

Defender Rabia played against Algeria in midfield, a match that saw Egypt struggle defensively, before starting in defense against Nigeria.

But with the midfield looking shaky, El-Badri was forced to switch Rabia’s position to midfield again – as it remains to be seen where the Ahly defender will be fielded against Mali.

Egypt will only miss right-back Mohamed Hani in the final Group B game due to a hamstring injury. 

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