One day before Egypt's World Cup qualifier at home to Zimbabwe, coach Bob Bradley reiterates his desire to end the country's long awaited wait for an appearance at the football's most prestigious event Egypt's topsy-turvy politics did nothing to dampen Egyptians' ardour to see their national team play at the World Cup, coach Bob Bradley said ahead of Tuesday's clash against Zimbabwe. The American boss is under immense pressure to achieve a feat that eluded his highly-successful predecessor Hassan Shehata - qualifying Egypt for the World Cup for the first time since 1990. “For me, when I came to Egypt everyone talked about the dream of going to the World Cup,” Bradley told a news conference on Monday, one day before the Pharaohs host Zimbabwe at Alexandria's Borg El-Arab Stadium. “There have been all sorts of challenges in the year and half that I have been in Egypt. The country changes every day, but one thing that never changes is this dream to go to the World Cup, and every time we have a chance to get together with the players this is what we focus on.” Although Egypt have been a dominant force in Africa, having won three straight Nations Cup titles in the past seven years, they have often stumbled when it mattered most. They came close to laying their World Cup ghosts to rest in 2009 but fell at the last hurdle, losing to North African rivals Algeria 1-0 in a decisive playoff in Sudan. Bradley is tasked with making up for that, and Egypt look well equipped to finish on top of Group G of the qualifiers that also includes Mozambique, Guinea and Zimbabwe. They will be looking to maintain their 100 percent record when they host Zimbabwe, having beaten Mozambique 2-0 at home before snatching a last-gasp 3-2 victory over Guinea in their opening two games. “There's been success in the past in Egyptian football, many of them. And of course there have been some disappointments. But we've tried to find the right way to transition the team and find a path to the World Cup and we are continuing that in the match against Zimbabwe,” Bradley added. Egypt are two points clear of second-placed Guinea and four ahead of Mozambique, who played out a goalless draw on Sunday. Zimbabwe lie at the bottom with a solitary point from two games. Fans back Egypt will enjoy the support of their fans for the first time since the 2012 Port Said disaster forced authorities to impose a crowd ban due to lingering security concerns. Borg El-Arab Stadium can host up to 80,000 fans but only 10,000 spectators will be allowed to attend the game. “We have said over and over this (fan presence) would be really important. We played our first World Cup qualifier against Mozambique in an empty stadium. It would mean a great deal to all of us to look to the stands and see our supporters. We have waited a long time for that,” Bradley commented. Egypt dropped to 75 in FIFA's ranking for their worst-ever position after a series of friendly defeats against the likes of Ghana, Ivory Coast and Chile. They rallied back with a 10-0 hammering of Swaziland in their last warm-up but Bradley played down the significance of the comprehensive win. “We don't read too much into that result (Swaziland). We quickly put that behind us to focus on the World Cup qualifiers, which is very different than a friendly,” he said. “I know that Zimbabwe's coach has done a lot of homework so his team will be prepared. So we are ready for the World Cup qualifiers.” (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at@AO Sportsand on Facebook atAhramOnlineSports)
