Libya’s national football team has begun preparations at a training camp in Antalya, Turkey, ahead of their two games against Egypt in the World Cup qualifiers.
The first leg will be held at the Borg El-Arab Stadium of Alexandria, on 8 October, while the 28 March Stadium of Benghazi is set to host the second leg on 11 October.
The games would determine the rivals’ fate in the 2022 World Cup, as part of the third round of African qualifiers for the tournament to be held in Qatar.
Libya defeated Gabon 2-1 and Angola 1-0 in their last meeting in the F Group. Libya leads Group F with six points, followed by Egypt with four. Gabon is in third position with one point, and Angola is in last place with none.
It’s still unclear whether or not Salah will be available for the two matches. Salah missed the Pharaohs first game in the previous 1-0 win over Angola, given travel restrictions imposed by the Premier League.
“Mohamed Salah is very excited and wants to play both matches against Libya, and I hope the travel procedures will be easy,” El-Sayed told OnTime Sport TV, according to KingFut news website.
The game will also be the competitive debut for newly appointed Egypt manager Carlos Queiroz, who replaced the sacked Hossam El-Badry just a week ago following severe criticism of the national team’s performance under his leadership. However, he did not lose any matches during his two-year-stay with the team.
Egypt’s coach, Carlos Queiroz said he has watched matches of the Libyan team, and expressed his admiration for the strength of the Mediterranean Knights. He also asked his men to focus during the upcoming games.
Notably, the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) has ruled that the game will be held without fans.