Both teams are preparing for the African World Cup qualifiers and the upcoming 2024 Africa Cup of Nations.

The Egyptian national team is currently in a training camp in the United Arab Emirates, where they recently secured a 1-0 victory over Zambia, thanks to a last-gasp goal by midfielder Hamdi Fathi.

The upcoming match against Algeria is expected to be a tough encounter and could potentially be the most difficult test for coach Rui Vitoria since their game against Belgium last year.

Since taking charge of the team in July 2022, Vitoria has led the Pharaohs to eight consecutive wins before suffering a 3-1 defeat to Tunisia in a friendly game in Cairo back in September.

The loss to Tunisia was seen as the first real challenge for Vitoria and his players, as their previous matches were against relatively weaker opponents, except for the game against Belgium.

As a result, Vitoria will be eager to prove himself against Algeria on Monday.

It is likely that the Portuguese coach will field a similar squad to the one that played against Zambia, with potentially two or three changes to the starting lineup.

Players such as Omar Marmoush, Omar Kamal, and Ahmed 'Zizo' Sayed, who did not start in the previous match, may be introduced into the team.

On the other hand, Algeria's coach, Djamel Belmadi, is also keen to test his team against a strong opponent like Egypt as they prepare for the Africa Cup of Nations.

Belmadi emphasized the importance of the friendly match, stating that although it is friendly, it holds great significance for them.

He expressed his eagerness to face Egypt, acknowledging their status as a good team and highlighting the opportunity to test his side against top-flight teams from the continent, which they haven't faced before, except for Egypt.

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