Between their performances in the last round of qualifying, their recent success and the depth of their player pools, there's no question that Egypt and Ghana are two of the five best teams that the continent has to offer, and that CAF would be best represented by having both teams in the World Cup finals. Unfortunately, the draw for the final round of qualifying pitted them against each other, and only one can punch their ticket to Brazil.
Egypt has dealt with closed door matches and the suspension of its domestic league, but Bob Bradley's side hasn't been hindered at all by the setbacks to their campaign. They breezed through the last round of qualifying with a perfect record and will be looking to qualify for their first World Cup since 1990, despite the fact that they've won the Africa Cup of Nations four times since then.
Bradley has sprinkled in a bit of new youth while slowly phasing out some of Egypt's older players. He hasn't forgotten about the talent that made their run of three straight Cup of Nations victories, however, and has regularly built his attack around 34-year-old star Mohamed Aboutrika.
Ghana have brought Michael Essien and Sulley Muntari back into the fold for Tuesday's match, and they should compliment captain Asamoah Gyan and the team's biggest star, Kwadwo Asamoah, even if they're not guaranteed to start. The Ayew brothers, Christian Atsu and Spartak Moscow man Majeed Waris are all in the team, giving Ghana plenty of weapons to support Gyan.Between their performances in the last round of qualifying, their recent success and the depth of their player pools, there's no question that Egypt and Ghana are two of the five best teams that the continent has to offer, and that CAF would be best represented by having both teams in the World Cup finals. Unfortunately, the draw for the final round of qualifying pitted them against each other, and only one can punch their ticket to Brazil.
Egypt has dealt with closed door matches and the suspension of its domestic league, but Bob Bradley's side hasn't been hindered at all by the setbacks to their campaign. They breezed through the last round of qualifying with a perfect record and will be looking to qualify for their first World Cup since 1990, despite the fact that they've won the Africa Cup of Nations four times since then.
Bradley has sprinkled in a bit of new youth while slowly phasing out some of Egypt's older players. He hasn't forgotten about the talent that made their run of three straight Cup of Nations victories, however, and has regularly built his attack around 34-year-old star Mohamed Aboutrika.
Ghana have brought Michael Essien and Sulley Muntari back into the fold for Tuesday's match, and they should compliment captain Asamoah Gyan and the team's biggest star, Kwadwo Asamoah, even if they're not guaranteed to start. The Ayew brothers, Christian Atsu and Spartak Moscow man Majeed Waris are all in the team, giving Ghana plenty of weapons to support Gyan.
