Egypt begin a new chapter under Ali Maher when they welcome Malawi to Cairo on Friday for round three of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, with the newly appointed head coach having little time to settle in before his first assignment with the national team.

The Pharaohs lead Group B on goal difference after collecting four points from their opening two qualifiers, sitting one point above third-placed visitors.

Match preview

Maher takes charge of Egypt for the first time following the dismissal of Hossam Hassan on November 7, bringing an abrupt end to his two-year-and-nine-month spell in charge, during which he guided the team to a fourth-placed finish at the 2025 AFCON and qualification for the 2026 World Cup, where they reached the last 16.

Since their defeat to Argentina at the global tournament, the Pharaohs have played three matches, producing a mixture of attacking quality and inconsistency, with the North African side beating South Sudan 5-0 in Juba after opening their qualifying campaign with a goalless draw against Angola.

Hassan's final match in charge was a 1-0 friendly defeat to South Africa in Cairo on October 4, while the Egyptian Football Association cited concerns about the national team's image and stability when announcing the decision to relieve the 60-year-old of his duties.

Although the former coach won 23 of his 39 matches in charge of the Pharaohs (D10, L6), Maher inherits a side that have managed just two victories inside regulation time in their last nine outings, leaving him with the task of bringing greater consistency to the team.

Egypt have also struggled to convince on home soil in recent matches, failing to score in their last two outings in the country, although their record against Friday's opponents offers some encouragement, having won four of their previous six meetings (D1, L1).

Malawi have their own problems to address on the road, having failed to win any of their last five away fixtures, losing three of those matches inside regulation time and failing to score in three.

That poor run reflects the visitors' wider struggles, with Kalisto Pasuwa's side managing just two victories in their last nine outings across all venues (D2, L5), one of which came in the opening round of the AFCON qualifiers when they beat South Sudan 2-1 in Lilongwe.

However, the Flames failed to build on that promising start as they suffered a 3-1 defeat to Angola in their previous qualifier, leaving them under pressure to take something from this encounter, particularly as another loss coupled with an Angola victory would leave them four points behind the qualification places.

The stakes are heightened by Malawi's limited history at the continental tournament, having qualified just three times previously, with their most recent appearance coming in the 2021 edition, when they reached the last 16 for the first time, while Pasuwa has also admitted that securing AFCON qualification will determine his future.
 

Egypt Africa Cup of Nations Qualifying form:

Egypt form (all competitions):

Malawi Africa Cup of Nations Qualifying form:

Malawi form (all competitions):

Team News

Egypt head coach Maher has recalled Mohamed El Shenawy, Mahmoud Hamdy El Wensh, Mohamed Shehata, Mahmoud Marei and Nasser Maher, while Mahmoud Mamdouh has earned his first senior call-up after making an impressive start to the domestic season.

Captain Mohamed Salah is also available again after missing the previous two outings against South Sudan and South Africa, while Trezeguet has returned from injury and Omar Marmoush is expected to feature in the lineup.

Meanwhile, Mostafa Ziko is suspended after receiving a five-match FIFA ban for his post-match comments at the World Cup, while Hamdy Fathy misses out through injury.

Malawi will be without defender Dennis Chembezi through injury, while forward Mayele Malango is unavailable because of his club's involvement in the USL playoffs and goalkeeper William Thole has been left out due to a lack of playing time at Simba.

Lanjesi Nkhoma has returned after missing the previous three call-ups, while Chikumbutso Salima is also back in the squad after recovering from injury.
 

Egypt possible starting lineup:

El Shenawy; Hany, Abdelmeguid, Rabia, Fattouh; Attia, Lasheen, Nasser Maher; Salah, Marmoush, Trezeguet
Malawi possible starting lineup:

Chikooka; Rameck, Petro, Nyirenda, Jaziya, Gomezgani Chirwa; Gaddie Chirwa, Njaliwa, Singo, Mwaungulu; Adepoju

We say: Egypt 2-0 Malawi

The change in the dugout brings an element of uncertainty for Egypt, but the hosts have enough quality in their squad to make a positive start under Maher.

Malawi have struggled to keep opponents at bay in recent matches and their record against Egypt offers little encouragement, so we expect the hosts to claim a comfortable victory, particularly with Salah back in the side.
 

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