Despite some strong performances in friendlies against Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, and Bahrain in the lead-up to the tournament, Egypt’s campaign opened with a draw against Kuwait.
Meanwhile, the UAE lost 2-1 to Jordan in their opening match.
The 2025 FIFA Arab Cup, taking place in Qatar from 1 to 18 December, has Egypt placed in Group C alongside Jordan, the UAE, and Kuwait.
“We’ve closely analyzed the UAE team, who have talented and fast players up front,” Egypt coach Helmy Toulan said in his post-match press conference.
The clash marks the first official meeting between the two sides in 37 years. Over their eight encounters in history, Egypt have won five, the UAE one, with two matches ending in draws.
“The short turnaround between matches doesn’t allow for long training sessions, so we mainly focused on recovery,” he said.
“We conduct video analysis to review mistakes and highlight positives, while also ensuring the players are rested for upcoming games,” he added.
With the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2025) scheduled to take place in Morocco from 21 December to 18 January, the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) decided in May to send a second-string squad to the Arab Cup, while the main team prepares for the continental competition.
Egypt will be without left-back Karim Fouad, who has been ruled out for the remainder of the tournament after scans confirmed a bruise to his right knee.
Egypt will take on first-place Jordan, who bagged three points from a win over Kuwait in their opener, in their third group-stage match on Tuesday.
Egypt won the Arab Cup in 1992 and finished fourth in the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup.
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