The Egypt U20 national team faces a crucial match tonight against New Zealand at 11 PM Cairo time, in the second round of the group stage of the FIFA U-20 World Cup held in Chile, with a strong desire to recover from the loss against Japan and revive hopes of qualification.

The match comes at a very sensitive time after Egypt lost their first group match 2-0 to Japan, placing them last in Group A. Today’s win is the only chance to keep hopes alive for advancing to the next round, especially since New Zealand also lost their first match to Chile 2-1.

Head coach Osama Nabih decided to make changes to the starting lineup, with Mohamed El-Sayed expected to start in midfield instead of Salim Taleb, while Moataz Mohamed returns to the defense line replacing Seif Safaga.

Nabih expressed confidence in his players’ ability to bounce back, noting that an early penalty affected the team’s morale in the first match. He said:

“I am confident in our players’ capabilities.. we have better than that, and we will secure qualification through the matches against New Zealand and Chile.”

He added:

“Anyone watching the match calmly will see many positives in the performance.”

Japan leads the group with three points after beating Egypt, while Chile is second with three points following their win over New Zealand. New Zealand is third with no points, ahead of Egypt on goal difference, leaving Egypt at the bottom of the group.

The squad includes 21 players, 19 from Egyptian clubs, alongside four professionals playing in Germany, England, and Switzerland. The names are as follows:

Despite the difficult start, Egypt still has a strong chance if they win tonight’s match and then face Chile, giving the players and coaching staff a great morale boost to deliver a performance worthy of Egyptian football.