Angola's French coach Patrice Beaumelle gestures during the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) Group B football match between Angola and Zimbabwe at Marrakesh Stadium in Marrakesh on December 26, 2025. AFP
Speaking at a pre-match press conference, Beaumelle said Egypt’s preparations remained unclear but insisted any potential squad rotation would not weaken the side.
“We do not know how Egypt will prepare for the match. They may choose to rest some players, but Egypt will still be strong,” he said.
Egypt face Angola at 6pm local time on Monday in the final round of Group B, having already secured qualification to the round of 16 and sealed top spot following consecutive wins over Zimbabwe and South Africa.
The Angola coach highlighted the quality and experience across Egypt’s squad, noting that many players compete for leading clubs in Europe and domestically.
“All Egypt’s players represent strong teams, whether in Europe or in Egypt, such as Al Ahly, Zamalek, and Pyramids. For me, there is no stronger or weaker player,” he said.
Beaumelle stressed that Egypt have enough depth to field two competitive line-ups.
“Egypt are capable of forming two different teams. Whatever the line-up tomorrow, it will be a strong one,” he added.
Turning to his own side, Beaumelle said Angola must believe in their ability to win despite the challenge.
“Angola also have a good team. We can win, but first we must believe in ourselves,” he said.
He underlined that progression in the tournament depends on focus rather than the opponent. “If we want to continue our journey, it does not matter who we face. We must concentrate on ourselves and play our football,” Beaumelle added.
Beaumelle praised Egypt’s tournament showing so far, highlighting their mental resilience and defensive organisation. He said Egypt are capable of defending throughout the full 90 minutes if required and fully deserve their place in the knockout stage.
He also attributed Egypt’s cohesion to the long-standing understanding among players who have featured together for many years at international level.
Angola enter the match under pressure after collecting just one point from their opening two games, drawing with Zimbabwe after losing to South Africa. Beaumelle admitted disappointment with the results but said his team have no alternative but to push for victory against the strongest side in the group.
“We were disappointed with our results in the first two matches. Now we face Egypt, the strongest team in the group, and we must win. It is a difficult challenge, but I believe we have the team capable of doing so,” he said.
Beaumelle concluded by saying his staff have closely analysed Egypt’s first two matches but remain uncertain over the extent of any changes to their line-up, calling it the key question ahead of kick-off.
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