Egypt star Zidan ready for "war" with Algeria

Mohamed Zidan has equated Egypt's next African Nations Cup semi-final against Algeria to "war'' after his side beat Cameroon 3-1 to set up a meeting against their bitter north African rivals.

• Egypt 3-1 Cameroon: Hassan double secures Algeria date
• Ivory Coast 2-3 Algeria: Desert Foxes beat favourites

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Mohamed Zidan will play an important role in Egypt's bid to claim a third straight title.

The Pharaohs, who are bidding for third consecutive title in Angola, will now face the Desert Foxes on Thursday in a game which is likely to have plenty of spark following their most recent meeting in Sudan.

That was in November when they had to face each other in a play-off at a neutral venue to decide which of the two will qualify for the World Cup after they were tied on the same points and goal difference in the qualifiers.

Algeria won the match 1-0, but only after several violent incidents involving fans and reported cases of attacks on the team buses by rival supporters, which FIFA are investigating.

"It will be a matter of life and death in that game," Zidan said. "For both sides it will be like a war. For us it is a chance to show the world that we deserve to go to the World Cup and if we beat them, we will be able to watch the World Cup with pride.''

The Borussia Dortmund striker also pointed out that the pressure will on the Algerians.

"We are the ones who do not have any pressure. We are the champions and we are better than them. Everybody will see which is the better team.''

Meanwhile, Zidan also hailed coach Hassan Shehahta as a "father-like'' figure of the team, praising his role in the team's success.

"He's a very good coach. He's now been our national coach for five years, and he's been doing very well. What's important is that he has a good relationship with us.

"He's like a father - the whole team likes him very much. We play with him, make jokes with him. He's not a young coach, and it's strange to see somebody of his age who is so close to his team.''

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