The good news for the three Eagles involved in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations is that despite an unremarkable showing so far, Farès Chaibi, Omar Marmoush and Ellyes Skhiri still have progression to the round of 16 in their own hands going into the final round of group matches this week. Algeria occupy third place in Group D with two points, Egypt are second in Group B with the same tally and Tunisia are third in Group E with one point.
Skhiri, who played every minute for Tunisia in the 1-0 defeat to Namibia and the 1-1 draw against Mali, must avoid defeat against bottom-of-the-table South Africa on Wednesday in order to have a chance of qualifying for the knockout phase.
After being named Man of the Match in Algeria’s 1-1 draw against Angola, Chaibi came on for the final quarter of an hour in Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Burkina Faso. His side must also avoid defeat in their final group match against Mauritania on Tuesday night.
Marmoush stepping up
After coming off the bench in the opening match against Mozambique, Marmoush started against Ghana and levelled the score at 1-1 in a game that ultimately finished 2-2.
With Mohamed Salah suffering an injury in that match, there’ll be more focus on Marmoush in the last group encounter against Cape Verde on Monday. Egypt ideally need to win to be sure of holding onto second place.
Matchday 3 fixtures involving Eintracht players
| Payer | OPPONENT | Matchday | Kick-off | Stadium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Omar Marmoush (Egypt) | Cabo Verde | Group B, Matchday 3 | Monday 22 January, 21:00 CET | Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny, Abidjan |
| Farès Chaibi (Algeria) | Mauritania | Group D, Matchday 3 | Tuesday 23 January, 21:00 CET | Stade de la Paix, Bouaké |
| Ellyes Skhiri (Tunisia) | South Africa | Group E, Matchday 3 | Wednesday 24 January, 18:00 CET | Stade Amadou Gon Coulibaly, Korhogo |
