Hossam Hassan: "The Green Team is strong... and the absence of Salah and Al-Dawsari is a loss."
Egypt's national team coach Hossam Hassan praised the strength of the Saudi national team ahead of the friendly match that will bring the two teams together today (Friday) at the "Al-Inma" stadium in King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, as part of the two teams' preparations for the 2026 World Cup.
Hossam Hassan said during the pre-match press conference: “Facing the Saudi national team is very useful and strong before the World Cup. The match brings together two great Arab teams, and we always play to win and make the most of it before participating in the World Cup.”.
Public pressure is an additional incentive
Hossam Hassan added: "We will try to take advantage of the great public pressure in the match because it gives the players additional motivation to deliver their best performance, despite our suffering from some fatigue due to travel and the flight being delayed as a result of the weather conditions.".
The absence of Salah and Al-Dawsari is a "technical loss"
The Egyptian coach concluded his remarks by saying: “The absence of Mohamed Salah from the Egyptian national team is certainly impactful, as he is the team’s captain and an important player. We hope that all the players will be with us and that they will be in the best technical and physical condition. The absence of Saudi Arabia’s star player, Salem Al-Dawsari, is also impactful, as he is the best player in Asia.”.
Egypt's national team coach Hossam Hassan praised the strength of the Saudi Green before the friendly match that will bring the two teams together today (Friday) at the “Al-Inma” stadium in King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah as part of the teams’ preparations for the 2026 World Cup.
Hossam Hassan said during the press conference preceding the match: “Facing the Saudi national team is very beneficial and strong before the World Cup, and the match brings together two great Arab teams, and we always play to win and achieve the maximum benefit before participating in the World Cup.”
The Crowd Pressure is an Additional Motivation
Hossam Hassan added: “We will seek to benefit from the great crowd pressure in the match because it gives the players additional motivation to deliver their best performance, despite experiencing some fatigue due to travel and the flight delay caused by weather conditions.”
The Absence of Salah and Al-Dosari is a “Technical Loss”
Hossam Hassan concluded his remarks by saying: “The absence of Mohamed Salah from the Egyptian national team is certainly impactful; he is the team captain and an important player, and we hope all players will be with us and in the best technical and physical condition. The absence of Saudi national team star Salem Al-Dosari is also significant; he is the best player in Asia.”
