Egypt: Hossam Hassan to Maintain Egypt's Identity Against Star-Studded World Champions Argentina

Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan says his side will remain true to its identity when it takes on the reigning world champions, Argentina in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 on Tuesday evening, insisting his players will focus on their own game rather than the stature of their star-studded opponents.

The Pharaohs have reached the knockout stage after an impressive group campaign and now face the reigning world champions led by the in-form Lionel Messi.

Speaking ahead of the match, Hassan acknowledged the challenge posed by the reigning world champions but stressed that Egypt's preparations have centered on maintaining the style and principles developed since he took charge.

Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines

"We have great respect for Argentina and for all their players, including Lionel Messi, who is one of the greatest players in football. But if you spend the whole match thinking about the opponent, you will not perform. We have our own style and our own identity. For the last two and a half years, we have worked to build a team that plays its own football, regardless of who we face", said a confident Hassan.

The Egypt coach pointed to his side's approach throughout the tournament, noting that the team had shown the same mentality against every opponent.

"We respected Belgium, New Zealand and Iran, but we always focused on ourselves. That will not change against Argentina. We want to impose our style of play."

Hassan also revealed that difficult weather conditions had disrupted the team's preparations, with heavy rain forcing changes to the training schedule. However, he expressed confidence that the squad would be ready for the encounter.

"There has been very little time between matches and the weather affected our preparations but the players have responded well. The coaching staff, medical team and players have all worked together to manage the recovery process", said the former striker.

While much of the attention has centred on Messi, Hassan said his players understand the importance of the occasion and the opportunity to represent both Egypt and the African continent on the world stage.

"We are playing for Egypt, for the Arab world and for Africa," he said. "That is our motivation. A FIFA World Cup is an opportunity that does not come around often for players or coaches.

"We want to show what Egyptian football is capable of and continue representing African football in the best possible way."

Egypt and Morocco are the two African teams that remain at the global showpiece.