Egypt's coach Shawky Gharib speaks with his players before the second half of their African Nations Cup qualifying soccer match against Senegal in Cairo (Photo: Reuters)
His own job is hanging in the balance but coach Shawky Gharib still hopes Egypt can pull off a major surprise and reach next year's Nations Cup when they face North African rivals and already-qualified Tunisia away from home on Wednesday.
The ailing Pharaohs are on the verge of an unwanted record of failing to qualify for the biennial tournament three times in row, with a 1-0 home defeat by Senegal on Saturday condemning them to a third-place finish in Group G.
Tunisia and Senegal have already sealed passage to the Equatorial Guinea finals with one match to spare, leaving record seven-time winners Egypt, who have six points, contemplating the highly unlikely target of finishing as the best third-placed side among the seven groups.
To stand a chance of doing so, they need to defeat Tunisia in Monastir and hope results in other groups go their way. Given Egypt's recent lackluster displays in a disastrous group stage campaign, which included two defeats by Senegal and a loss to Tunisia, Egyptian fans and pundits doubt the Pharaohs can win on the road.
"We still have hope, and we are going to Tunisia for a win," Gharib said following the loss to Senegal, which came via a dreadful blunder from goalkeeper Ahmed El-Shennawy.
The 55-year-old was given a vote of confidence by the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) before the Senegal clash but the governing body is likely to take into consideration the strong rebuke he faced in the past few days when they decide his fate following the end of the qualifiers.
"I'm building a team for the future. Some of the players who played against Senegal were making their first international appearance," Gharib said.
"I told the players following this defeat that there is still hope we can make it to the Nations Cup finals. There are still three points up for grabs and a win could make a difference.
"After the match it will be up to the EFA to decide whether we continue our job," added Gharib, who previously said he should be given the same chance his predecessor Bob Bradley had when, under the American's guidance, Egypt failed to reach the 2013 Nations Cup before falling at the last hurdle in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers.
More absences
Egypt, who had to do without main striker Amr Gamal, regular left-back Mohamed Abdel-Shafi and first-choice goalkeeper Sherif Ekramy against Senegal, will have to cover for more absent key players when they face Tunisia.
Ahmed El-Shennawy, who deputized for Ekramy in the previous match, picked up an injury after landing awkwardly on his ankle, having made a poor and mis-timed jump which allowed Senegal's Mame Diouf to head home after eight minutes for the winner.
Forty-one-year-old keeper Essam El-Hadary, who is widely regarded as the best goalie in Egypt's history, is likely to return between the sticks.
Egypt will also miss defensive midfielder Ibrahim Salah and right winger Hazem Emam, who made a fine impact after coming as a second-half substitute against Senegal, after both were injured.
Tunisia have a fully-fit squad to choose from.
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