Egypt boss Hassan Shehata admitted that the Pharaohs' chance of going past the FIFA Confederations Cup group stage is slim, but insists his team will not give up without a fight. The six-time African champions lie in Group B along with World heavyweights Brazil, Italy and USA, and their first game in the global competition will be against the Samba Dancers on June 15th. "Brazil and Italy are two big teams with a long history. They have won the World Cup and are their continents' champions," the former Zamalek star was quoted by CAF's official website as saying. "The US as well have made it to this event three times before and had good results. "We are aware that both Brazil and Italy are considered favorites of the group and the tournament as well while Egypt and the USA are looked upon as the outsiders. "But, we are also a big team now and shouldn't be afraid from our opponents. We have managed to win the Nations Cup six times, the last two in a row.
"We won't be there for fun. It is our duty to fight for our reputation and prove that we deserve to earn a place alongside the giants, and challenge them as well." Friendly Matches Shehata believes the Egyptians' friendly games over the past year have earned them enough experience to rise up to the Confederations Cup challenge. "The Egyptian team is now used to playing against big teams. In the past year, we have played several friendly matches against teams like Argentina, Spain and Portugal," he elaborated. "Luckily, we are meeting three other big teams -- Brazil, Italy and the USA -- and they have come to us a gift in the Confederations Cup. It is a valuable opportunity for us." Egypt slumped to a demoralizing 3-1 loss to Algeria in a critical World Cup qualifier three days ago. Their substandard performance against the Desert Foxes indicates that their Confederations Cup campaign will be unsuccessful, pundits believe.
