Egypt will be hoping to end their ongoing troubled spell when they take on Brazil in the FIFA Confederations Cup Group B opening game in Bloemfontein. Not only it will be the Pharaohs' first-ever competitive game against the five-time World champions, but it's also a make-or-break clash for Hassan Shehata's team. The six-time African Cup of Nations winners are having their worst spell under the management of Shehata, who took over the team five years ago, especially after the 3-1 World Cup qualifier loss at Algeria. The result hampered their chances of reaching the 2010 World Cup, and it couldn't have come in a worse timing, especially ahead of the Confederations Cup campaign. Despite Egypt's current loss of form, Shehata is keen his players will produce a solid display in Monday's game, which can be a morale booster for himself and the whole nation. "We are obviously aware of the differences between Brazil and Egypt, but we will be doing everything we can to honour Egyptian and African football," the Master said. "We can't afford to be afraid of Brazil because such fear can haunt us until the end of our participation in the tournament." Unknown
On the other side, Egypt seem to be a trivial team for Brazil, whose players said that they know nearly nothing about the north Africans' style of play. "Egypt are a very strong team. They were African champions twice in a row and that shows how good they are," Brazil coach Carlos Dunga confirmed. "I warned my players from underestimating their opponents and told them how tough the Egyptian team can get." However, Brazil and Bayern Munich defender Lucio recognizes some of the Egyptian stars. "Because of his pace and skill, some defenders find it very hard to mark Mohamed Zidan," Lucio commented on the Egypt and Borussia Dortmund forward. "I've played against him in the Bundesliga on numerous occasions, and he has what it takes to turn some games around." Zidan will be one solution to Shehata's attacking dilemma, as Amr Zaki, Emad Meteb are out of the tournament due to injury in the absence of Mido, who wasn't called-up by Shehata.
