Bafana’s Mkhalele – Egypt will want to ‘settle the score’ at Afcon 2025

Bafana Bafana assistant coach Helman Mkhalele believes Egypt will be out for revenge when the two teams meet at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) finals in Morocco later this year.

ALSO READ: Bafana to take on Egypt at 2025 Afcon finals

Bafana were placed in Group C for the Afcon finals, alongside Egypt, Zimbabwe and Angola, when the draw for the finals was conducted in Rabat on Monday.

Mkhalele stands in for Bafana’s Broos

South Africa’s head coach Hugo Broos was not present at the draw, with Mkhalele standing in for him.

Bafana’s last meeting with Egypt at the Afcon finals came in 2019 in Cairo, when Stuart Baxter’s side stunned the hosts 1-0 in the last 16.

“We know Egypt will try to make sure they settle the score of 2019, but for us what happened is history,” Mkhalele told SABC Sport from Rabat.

“For us it is important to make sure the team improves. We want to get into the knockout stages and … to win the trophy. But our main goal is to make sure the team improves on their past performances.”

It will be a tall order for Bafana to repeat their achievement at the last Afcon in the Ivory Coast, when they exceeded expectations in bringing home a bronze medal.

Bafana should be able to at least get to the knockout rounds, however, and will be favourites to beat Zimbabwe and Angola.

“I knew with a huge number of SADC teams qualified for the competition, that two would be drawn in our group,” added Makelele.

‘A tough group’

“It is a tough group. We all know each other and all the teams have improved. So for us it is to make sure we continue where we left off in terms of the Afcon.”

ALSO READ: Chiefs confirm three January signings

Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan, meanwhile, believes that Liverpool’s Mohammed Salah and Manchester City’s Omar Marmoush can be the difference-makers against Bafana.

“Salah and Marmoush will be the positive elements for the Egypt team, especially against South Africa. And Angola and Zimbabwe have also progressed a lot,” Hassan told journalists after the draw, according to FarPost.