Bradley braced for exciting debut as Egypt face Brazil

Egypt's new American coach faces tough debut as the Pharaohs prepare to take on Brazil in a friendly game on Monday

Bob Bradley could not have faced a stiffer test in his Egypt debut as the American coach begins his new adventure against five-time world champions Brazil in Qatari capital Doha on Monday.
The bald-headed boss, who took over in Egypt following the departure of highly successful coach Hassan Shehata, is burdened with the responsibility of ending the team's 20-year wait for a World Cup appearance.
He is set to embark on a rebuilding process to atone for Egypt's failure to qualify for next year's African Cup of Nations finals.
His tenure starts on Monday against Brazil, who are also aiming to recover from a barren run to approach the 2014 World Cup on home soil in the best possible shape.
“I can see that it is a dream everyone here has to qualify for the 2014 World Cup,” Bradley said in an interview with Reuters.
“Everyone you see in the street, the first thing they say: please, Brazil,” he added, referring to the eagerness of Egyptians to see their national team in World Cup action for the first time since 1990.
Egypt's last meeting with Brazil was a thrilling affair. Egypt were on the verge of snatching a valuable draw at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup group stage but conceded a last-gasp penalty to suffer a 4-3 defeat.
Bradley was in charge of the United States when they lost to Brazil in the final of the same tournament.
Brazil's depleted squad for the Egypt game does not include Real Madrid's injured playmaker Kaka and left-back Marcelo. Brazilian-based duo Neymar and Paulo Ganso were also left out.
However, Bradley believes Brazil, who kept faith with coach Mano Menezes despite a quarter-final exit at the Copa America, would not be affected by any absences.
“Brazil are capable of playing four matches with four different squads at the same time. Playing against a team of their calibre is always difficult,” Bradley said.
Appearances record
Egypt skipper Ahmed Hassan will equal the record of 178 international appearances held by former Saudi Arabia keeper Mohamed Al-Deayea if he plays against Brazil.
The veteran midfielder was called up by Bradley after making a superb start to the season with Zamalek, scoring three goals in the first five Egyptian Premier League games.
Egypt will have to do without left-back Mohamed Abdel-Shafy and striker Amr Zaki, who both picked up injuries during Zamalek's surprise 2-1 league defeat by Ittihad El-Shorta.
Playmaker Mohamed Abou-Treika, one of the mainstays of Egypt's squad during the past seven years, was left out.
Long-serving goalkeeper Essam El-Hadary, 38, is expected to retain his place between the sticks, despite being suspended by the Sudan Football Association “for failing to honour his contract with El-Merreikh.”
Brazil defender Thiago Silva warned of Egypt's swift counter-attacks, which helped them score three goals against the Selecao in the Confederations Cup encounter.
''It's a tough game. Nowadays, you hardly play an easy game, even more with their team. They have fast players in attack,” the AC Milan man told a pre-match news conference.
“In the counter-attack, we could suffer greatly. But if we're focused and do what we do with our clubs, we'll be able to handle them.''
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