David Flower
Dailysports's expert
National Bank
Pharco FC
One of the second-round matches of the Egyptian Premier League will take place this Saturday in Cairo at the Petro Sport Stadium, where National Bank of Egypt will host Pharco. I suggest a bet on the total goals in this match, offering good odds for success.
Match Preview
Last season, National Bank of Egypt had a lackluster performance, finishing 13th in the standings, which came as no surprise to many. The team avoided the relegation zone by eight points, yet ended the season with a five-match winless streak.
National Bank also exited the Egyptian Cup in the first round, losing their home game to Al-Masry with a score of 1-3. In the first round of the new Premier League season, they visited Zamalek and put up a fight against the stronger opponent but ultimately lost 2-3.
Pharco fared even worse last season, finishing in 15th place. They managed to stay clear of relegation by just five points and, like their opponent, closed out the season with a four-game winless run. However, Pharco broke that streak in the opening round of the Egyptian Cup, pulling off a surprising 2-0 away victory over Al Ahly. Despite this, they couldn’t maintain the momentum and lost in the quarterfinals at home to Al-Masry (0-1). Pharco’s new league campaign began with a home defeat to Al-Ittihad (0-1).
Probable Lineups
- National Bank of Egypt: El Balouti, El Hazzar, Abdelghany, Bassiouni, Yakubu, Fathi, Simpor, Ibrahim, Helal, Faishal, Annor
- Pharco: Shika, Gouma, Marey, Gamal, Enkada, Mostafa, Gehad, Emad, Nasser, Sherif, Fouad
Match Facts and Head-to-Head
- Last season, Pharco defeated National Bank of Egypt 2-1 at home, while the away match ended in a 0-0 draw.
- Pharco is unbeaten against this opponent in their last six matches, securing three wins.
- Only one of the last five games between these teams has seen over 2.5 goals scored.
Prediction
Bookmakers are offering favorable odds of 1.96 for a home win. However, given the head-to-head stats, betting on the match outcome is risky. Therefore, our pick is "Under 2.5 goals" at odds of 1.69.
