Egypt coach Miroslav Soukup insisted his side will be looking to claim all three points against Italy even though a draw is enough for them to reach the U-20 World Cup round of 16. "We play to win, all the players are fully focused on achieving that target when we face Italy tomorrow," Soukup told the pre-match press conference on Wednesday. The World Cup hosts made a bright start to their campaign, producing a ruthless display to thrash Trinidad and Tobago 4-1 in Group A opener. However, they were nowhere near their best against Paraguay, who snatched a last-gasp 2-1 victory despite playing with ten men for 57 minutes. Egypt take on Italy, who have four points like Paraguay, in their last group-stage game at Cairo Stadium where a draw will secure their last-16 berth, at least as one of the best four third-placed teams. "The players forgot Monday's defeat and they are determined to beat Italy," Soukup, who guided his native Czech Republic to a runners-up finish in the 2007 tournament in Canada, added. Safe Place Soukup insisted Mohamed Talaat's place as Egypt's regular striker is safe despite his failure to live up to expectations so far.
Soukup trusts Talaat The Ahli man, one of the few players who played first-team football with their clubs, squandered several clear-cut opportunities against Trinidad and was kept at bay for long periods against Paraguay. He is often deployed as a lone striker to play in front of attacking midfielders Afroto, Hossam Arafat and Ahmed Magdi. "Playing with two strikers does not necessarily mean that we will score, many teams play with three strikers but fail to find the net. What matters is our ability to mount pressure," Soukup commented. "Talaat is one of my best players. His willpower resulted in the dismissal of a Paraguay defender and he always fights for every ball, so there is no need to replace him." Soukup also played down concerns over the fitness level of Egypt players. Several of the young Pharaohs looked very exhausted in the latter stages of the defeat against Paraguay. "The fitness level is not poor, the players just failed to make the most of their numerical advantage," he concluded.
