Egypt VS Ghana: Cuper Backs Elneny To Deliver Against Ghana

Egypts’ star player, Mohamed Elneny has come under fire but manager Hector Cuper is sticking by him as Egypt take on Ghana in a key Africa Cup of Nations encounter. The Egyptian boss has defended the form of Mohamed Elneny ahead of Wednesday's crucial Africa Cup of Nations clash with Ghana.

The Arsenal midfielder has come in for criticism for his uncharacteristic displays against Mali and Uganda in Group D. Abdallah El Said's 89th-minute goal against Uganda on matchday two has put Egypt in a strong position to qualify regardless of their unconvincing displays, with a draw against leaders Ghana enough to guarantee their place in the quarter-finals.

But rather than be tempted to take Elneny out of the firing line, Cuper has backed him to deliver against The Black Stars. "I am very satisfied with Elneny's performance and what he brings to the team," he told the press. "We always look for the team's best interest, which is more important.

Ghana have already qualified following two wins from their first two games but will guarantee top spot with a point at Stade de Port-Gentil. Despite their progress having already been assured, head coach Avram Grant says he will not rest his key players as he wants everyone to be as sharp as possible for the knockout phase.

In a pre match interview, Grant said "We want to win on Wednesday and we want to improve in every game we play…some of our key players did not play a lot of games in the last six months due to injuries, so they need games to put them into their best shape possible."