Nigeria and Egypt will play against each other at the Stade Roumdé Adjia, Garoua as both sides aim to begin their 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) on a positive note.
Nigeria will be without Victor Osimhen, Emmanuel Dennis, and Odion Ighalo, while Egypt will not have Mohamed Abogabal and Ibrahim Adel available after both tested positive for COVID-19.
The rivalry between the two nations dates as far back as 1960, when Nigeria secured a 2-1 friendly victory in their first encounter at the National Stadium, Lagos.
The teams have played against each other on 18 occasions with Nigeria setting the pace with eight victories, losing five with another five draws.
Super Eagles defender, Chidozie Awaziem said the team was ready to face Mohammed Salah-led side in fine form having won four of their last six competitive games, drew one, and lost one.
“We are fully focused on the game, we are just a few hours away from our first game and we are fully ready for Egypt.
“With our efforts and the help of the coach, I believe we will come out with a positive result.
“We have lots of good players in the team to count on,” Awaziem said.
As Nigeria will be seeking an opening-day victory over Egypt, the Pharaoh’s coach Carlos Queiroz said his ambition was to go unbeaten throughout the tournament.
In his pre-match statement, Quieroz said “It’s a great pleasure to face Nigeria in the opening game. We want to face the strongest teams in the tournament.”
“Nigeria is a very strong team, but we have no objections. It’s always good to compete against football giants.
“We have a lot of players that are competing among themselves for a starting position, and that’s great because we came here to play seven games.
“Our ambition is very simple. Win all the matches.”
