CAIRO: Egypt captain Ahmed Hassan indicated that his team needs to show Algeria the utmost respect during their clash in the crunch World Cup qualifier on Saturday.
Amidst a vicious war of words between the media at both ends, Hassan opted for a different trend as he revealed his admiration for the Desert Foxes.
They re an excellent team that has really progressed in the last two years, he said in an interview with FIFA.com.
We ll need to show plenty of humility and forget our title as African champions.
We ll be going into the match with the knowledge that we have to wipe out a two-goal deficit against our strongest opponents in the group.
Hassan, who has three African Cup of Nations titles to his name, admitted that qualifying for South Africa adds another dimension to this generation s feats.
It s a unique moment, without doubt the most important of our careers, added the 34-year-old midfielder.
Our generation has dominated African football for the last few years, but only qualifying for the World Cup would put the proper seal on that.
We believe in God and in our own quality and we know we deserve this qualification. I know Algeria are in a better position, but I also feel that our team is superior.
Hassan also urged Egypt fans to back the team this weekend as he can t wait to be on the pitch at Cairo Stadium.
The support of our fans will be crucial, he said.
I call on all our supporters to come and back us for the full 90 minutes, whatever the score happens to be.
I expect numerous twists and turns and I can t wait to find myself at the heart of the stadium when it ll be absolutely full. I just hope we get to finish the night amid wonderful scenes of joy.
