With striker Marwan Mohsen injured and winger Mahmoud Kahraba suspended, Egypt coach Hector Cuper will have little options to find a much-needed attacking spark against Cameroon.
The Pharaohs are still sweating over the fitness of Portugal-based striker Ahmed Kouka, who has not fully recovered from a pelvic bone injury.
The Braga striker is seen as the natural replacement for Mohsen as a target man in Cuper's 4-2-3-1 scheme.
A classic number 9 who keeps the opposing defence busy in order to create spaces for wingers Mohamed Salah or Mahmoud Trezeguet, he usually wins aerial challenges in the box or flicks the ball to teammates.
In a second scenario, Cuper might have to adopt a different tactical approach, lining up Salah in a central role to act more like a false 9, with Trezeguet switching to the right flank and gifted winger Ramadan Sobhi deployed on the left. The Argentinean tactician had already used this formation for some time against Ghana in a World Cup qualifying clash in November.
It hasn't proven very successful as Salah was closely marked, failing to find enough spaces to make his darting runs towards goal or down the flanks.
This formation also forces Cuper to make major changes to his game plan because of the absence of an imposing striker in the area as he cannot rely on long balls.
It will also leave him with attacking midfielder Amr Warda as the only attacking option on the bench.
However, it might be the only option for him if Kouka fails to recover in time as it is very unlikely he could field Warda or Sobhi in a central attacking position.
Egypt have suffered from a series of injuries during the tournament with goalkeepers Ahmed El-Shennawi and Sherik Ekramy, left-back Mohamed Abdel-Shafi, midfielder Mohamed Elneny as well as strikers Ahmed Kouka and Marwan Mohsen sidelined.
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