The second Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) semi-final is a big clash between two African football heavyweights. The African football’s most renowned nations Egypt, seven time winners will challenge hosts Cameroon who are chasing their sixth title.

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This will be their 11th AFCON meeting, with no two teams facing each other more often in the competition’s history. It will be the first match to be played at the Olembe Stadium to kick off this Thursday, 3 February at 19:00 GMT in Yaounde since January 24, when eight people died and 38 were injured in a crush prior to Cameroon’s win over Comoros.

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No team have got beyond the semi-finals as a host nation since Egypt in 2006, with the Pharaohs going on to win the tournament. They repeated the feat in each of the next two editions.

Nevertheless, Cameroon’s own semi-final record is good, progressing from seven of their previous nine such matches.

Either way, a giant of African football will be eliminated on Thursday.

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Egypt have won three of their last four Africa Cup of Nations games against Cameroon (L1), scoring nine goals. This after netting just twice across their previous six encounters against the Indomitable Lions in the competition (W1 D2 L3).

Since the beginning of 2017, no player has been directly involved in more goals (9) at the Africa Cup of Nations than Egypt’s Mohamed Salah (six goals, three assists) or Cameroon’s Vincent Aboubakar (seven goals, two assists).

While the hosts, who have been in strong goalscoring form, have no apparent injury concerns, Egypt have seemingly lost two goalkeepers during the knockout rounds.

Egypt’s biggest issues are in goal. Mohamed El Shenawy and Mohamed Abou Gabal have each picked up injuries during the knockout rounds. This pressed Mohamed Sobhy into an international debut off the bench against Morocco. The starting berth may again be the 22-year-old’s in the last four.

With strikers Karl Toko Ekambi and competition top-scorer Vincent Aboubakar in top form, it seems unlikely that experienced coach Toni Conceição will make changes to the Cameroon side that beat The Gambia, with no new reported injuries.

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Predicted line-ups

Cameroon XI: Onana; Fai, Ngadeu-Ngadjui, Castelletto, Tolo; Anguissa, Gouet, Hongla; Ngamaleu, Aboubakar, Toko Ekambi.

javascript:void(0) Egypt XI: Sobhy; Kamal, Hegazi, Abdelmonem, Fatteh; Al-Sulaya, Elneny, Fathy; Salah, Mohamed, Trezeguet.