Egypt coach blames lack of preparation time ahead of Abu Dhabi friendlies

Ahram Online , Wednesday 11 Oct 2023

Egypt's national team coach, Rui Vitoria, expressed his desire for more preparation time ahead of their two upcoming friendlies in the Abu Dhabi camp, which started on Monday.

Egypt coach

 

The Pharaohs are set to face their Zambian counterparts on Thursday, followed by a match against Algeria on Monday.

"It is anticipated that the game against Zambia will be highly challenging," Vitoria stated at the pre-match news conference on Wednesday.

"We had hoped for additional preparation time, but we are prepared to play under any circumstances."

"Our objective is to win all our games, although it is not always feasible. It is normal to encounter losses at times."

The Portuguese coach emphasized that the national team's doors are open to all players, but they must convince the technical staff by demonstrating their suitability for selection.

"Two months ago, I had a list of 59 players, and now I am working with 36 players."

"The Africa Cup of Nations will be an arduous competition, and I will call up players who can implement my tactics and meet our technical requirements for this significant event."

Vitoria assumed the role of Egypt's national team coach in July 2022, leading them to victory in eight consecutive games before suffering a 3-1 defeat to Tunisia last month in a friendly match in Cairo.

Throughout these nine games, Egypt scored 21 goals and conceded five.

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