The Egyptian national football team heads for Ghana today in the hopes of successfully defending their African title. Inas Mazhar joins the team on their journey to potential glory African champions Egypt are all set to defend their crown at the 26th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations (ACN). They go to Ghana after having won two friendlies and drawing with Angola. Warming up for the three-week event, Egypt had two impressive wins: a 3-0 win over Namibia in Aswan, Egypt, a 1-0 win over Mali in Abu Dhabi, in the Emirates followed by a 3-3 draw against tough contender Angola in Lisbon on Sunday. The Egyptians are now heading for Accra, then to Kumasi where they are scheduled to play in Group C against the four-time champions Cameroon, the ambitious and unpredictable team of Zambia and dark horse neighbours Sudan. The pharaohs play their opener against Cameroon on 22 January. Though most believe that Egypt's toughest rival will be Cameroon, Egypt coach Hassan Shehata sees otherwise, believing Sudan are strong rivals and even favourites to winning the ACN. Shehata was quoted on BBC on-line as saying that while everyone is looking at Cameroon and to a lesser degree Zambia, he honestly believes that a team like Sudan can go all the way. "Sudanese football has tremendously progressed in the last few years. They had two clubs in the final rounds of the African club competitions last year and they can do the same in Ghana," Shehata said. Sudan finished top of their Nations Cup qualifying group ahead of Tunisia and in December they won the Cecafa Cup with a second-string side. If the Pharaohs and all Egypt are looking for their sixth title at the ACN, Shehata himself is focussed on becoming only the second coach to win successive Nations Cup titles. Ghana's Charles Gyamfi won the title in 1963 and 1965, and added a third in 1982. "This is my personal challenge. It would be the biggest achievement of my career," Shehata told BBC Sport. "This year's tournament is much tougher than the one we won on home soil two years ago. At least 12 of the 16 finalists are capable of winning the title." Shehata confirmed to Al-Ahram Weekly that he expects rough encounters. "We would all like to win the title -- the players, the technical staff, the federation and of course, all Egyptians. But I have to say that it is going to be tough. "We have prepared for it very well and I'm pleased with my team and have confidence in them. So, we'll do our best and see how it goes. "The football map has changed a lot in Africa. It's not like before. All 16 teams who made it to the finals are so strong that anyone can claim the title. I believe there is no such thing as favourites anymore. The tournament has become unpredictable," Shehata said. Before flying to the UAE for their friendly against Mali, Hassan Shehata announced his line-up which will take part in Ghana. The head coach sidelined Ismaili defender Sherif Abdul-Fadil and Petrojet duo of Walid Suleiman and Osama Mohamed. Petrojet midfielder Ahmed Shaaban, who made his international debut against Namibia last week, impressed and does make the final list following Hossam Ghali's return to England to complete his move to Derby County. Egypt's squad: Goalkeepers: Essam El-Hadari (Ahli), Mohamed Abdul-Monsef (Zamalek), Mohamed Sobhi (Ismaili) Defenders: Shadi Mohamed, Ahmed Fathi (both Ahli), Wa'el Gomaa (Al-Siliya, Qatar), Ibrahim Said (Ankaragucu, Turkey), Hani Said, Sayed Moawad (both Ismaili), Mahmoud Fathallah, Tarek El-Sayed (both Zamalek), Ahmed El-Mohamadi (ENPPI) Midfielders: Hosni Abd-Rabou, Omar Gamal (both Ismaili), Mohamed Shawki (Middlesbrough, England), Ahmed Hassan (Anderlecht, Belgium), Hassan Mustafa (Al-Wehda, Saudi Arabia), Ahmed Shaaban (Petrojet), Mohamed Abou-Treika (Ahli) Strikers: Mohamed Zidan (Hamburg, Germany), Amr Zaki (Zamalek), Emad Moteab (Ahli), Mohamed Fadl (Ismaili) A cursory glance at the four groups shows former and possible present champions among the 16 entrants. Group A Ghana, Namibia, Guinea and Morocco make up what looks like an easy group for the hosts. Namibia are seen as the weakest link on paper, but the Brave Warriors are the dark horses with a surprise or two up their sleeves. The Guineans are rated highly by Ghana's coach Claude Le Roy, and with good reason, considering their flair and star-studded line-up. Although Morocco lost 2-0 to Ghana in a recent friendly, the Atlas Lions were convincing in qualifying and could be a serious threat. Who wins the group remains open but Guinea and Ghana are fancied to progress to the quarter-finals. Group B Nigeria are in much tougher company with only Benin seen as real underdogs as the Ivory Coast and Mali complete what could be called a group of death. Here there are three potential champions: an exciting Malian side looking to reach the final for the first time since 1972; a lethal and defensively strong Ivorian squad while Nigeria's experience is unmatched. Group C Cameroon and defending champions Egypt are favourites in Group C, but Sudan and Zambia should not be written off. The Pharaohs, after all, left it until their final match to secure qualification. The resurgence of Sudanese football could see an upset on the cards, while Zambia have the same potential to cause a stir with their youthful side. Group D The 2004 champions Tunisia are in a wide open group with Angola, Senegal and South Africa. Looking at recent records, Senegal and Tunisia would seem favourites to progress here. But 2006 World Cup finalists Angola will be motivated to advance from the group stages for the first time as they prepare to host the tournament in 2010. South Africa have possibly an even bigger motivation as they will want to do well in order to gauge their chances of being competitive 2010 World Cup hosts.
