Senegal forward Habib Diallo has acknowledged the challenge posed by Egypt ahead of their Africa Cup of Nations semi-final clash but insists the Teranga Lions are well prepared to push for a place in the final.
The Grand Stadium of Tangier will host the highly anticipated encounter on Wednesday evening as Senegal and Egypt battle for a spot in the final of the 2025 AFCON, currently being staged in Morocco.
Speaking ahead of the match, Diallo underlined the importance of the fixture while stressing that Senegal’s preparation has remained consistent.
“We know that tomorrow’s match is the semi-final, and it is a very important match, but we continue to train as usual, and we prepare as in other matches, perhaps even more than usual. We will try to present our usual style of football,” he said.
Reflecting on Senegal’s recent history against Egypt, Diallo described the encounter as both demanding and familiar, given the number of times the two sides have met in major competitions.
“On one hand it is a difficult match, and on the other hand, it is not. Egypt is a team we know very well. We have faced them before in the World Cup qualifiers and we won. They are a good team and we know them well. The most important thing for us is to do our best to qualify,” he added.
Diallo also warned that both teams will approach the game with maximum determination.
“We expect anything, since we have already beaten them before, they will be there to win, and we are also here to win, not to joke around.”
Egypt and Senegal have built a fierce rivalry in recent years, having met in the 2022 AFCON final, which Senegal won on penalties, before clashing again in the final round of World Cup qualifiers, where both sides exchanged narrow victories before the Teranga Lions prevailed in another penalty shootout.
