Egypt will face Bosnia on Wednesday in their first match under new coach Shawky Gharib.
Match info: Venue: Tivoli Stadion Tirol (Innsbruck) stadium | Austria | 5 Mar 2014 – 19:30 Cairo Local Time
Egypt meet Bosnia in Austria, their first match since they beat Ghana 2-1 in the second leg of a World Cup qualifying playoff last November which was a mere consolation after they suffered a humiliating 6-1 first-leg defeat in Kumasi.
“We haven’t faced such a high-profile team for long. Our match against Bosnia will be very useful. They are ranked 17th in the world and they boast some excellent players,” Gharib said.
“We could have played against some modest teams and won 9-0, but we want to avoid a repeat of what happened in Ghana when we were not fully prepared.”
Egypt will also face Chile in May as they prepare for the qualifiers of the 2015 African Nations Cup, a tournament they won three times on the trot in 2006, 2008 and 2010 before astonishingly failing to reach the following two editions.
Gharib has recalled 41-year-old keeper Essam El-Hadary, who has not played for Egypt since falling out with Bradley in February 2013 after rejecting a bench role during a friendly against Chile.
Uncapped forward Amr Gamal, who produced some superb displays with Ahly in the Egyptian league, was also named in the 22-man squad.
New faces also include Ismaily midfielder Ibrahim Hassan and Arab Contractors promising forward Mohamed Farouk.
Zamalek players were left out as the Cairo giants prepare for an African Champions League round of 32 game away to Angola’s Kabuscorp.
LIVE MATCH STARTS AT 19:30 CAIRO TIME:
This live event has ended: Egypt 2-0 Bosina
