Egypt training camp UPDATE | 2019 African Cup of Nations qualifiers

The Pharaohs will be hosting Niger Saturday September 8th at Alexandria’s Borg El-Arab stadium.

Egypt are fourth with no points in the 2019 CAN qualifiers’ Group J, which includes Niger, Tunisia and Swaziland, having lost their opening game 1-0 to Tunisia last June.

Al Masry striker Ahmed Gomaa has been excluded from Egypt’s squad for the upcoming match against Niger due to injury, while Mexican coach Javier Aguirre has decided not to call up an alternate.

“Gomaa has joined Ramadan Sobhi on the injury list. The camp will continue with the current 24 players,” the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) said in a statement on Tuesday morning.

Gomaa suffered a muscular strain in Masry’s 0-0 draw to Maqassa on Monday, while Sobhi got the coach’s approval to travel back to England to complete his rehabilitation program with his club Huddersfield after learning the details of his injury.

On Monday, the Egyptian national team started their first training camp under new coach Aguirre amid preparations to face Niger Saturday in the second round of the 2019 African Cup of Nations qualifiers.

The Pharaohs will be hosting the West African side at Alexandria’s Borg El-Arab stadium.

“The team is complete now after the arrival of Ali Ghazal and Amr Tarek from their clubs in Canada and the USA, respectively,” the EFA’s statement explained.

In late August, the Pharaohs’ new coach, who succeeded Argentine Hector Cuper as Egypt’s boss in July, called up 13 foreign-based players for the team’s first camp under his helm.

On Wednesday, the coach added a 13-man local-based squad for the Niger match, introducing six new faces.

Ahly striker Marwan Mohsen and Wadi Degla midfielder Mohamed Mahmoud were called up by Aguirre on Saturday to replace Olympiacos’ new signing Kouka and Wigan Athletic midfielder Sam Morsy, respectively, after both were injured.