Egypt's most recent outing was way tougher than Wednesday's fixture, having lost to England 3-1 at Wembley last March.

This time Hassan Shehata's side have their sights on the opening qualifier against Sierra Leone on September 5th.

But the gaffer is facing a selection dilemma, with the core of his regular frontline missing for various reasons.

Emad Meteb, Shehata's favorite target man, has been excluded following the infamous controversy surrounding his club career.

Amr Zaki is set to miss out due to a groin problem, while Mohamed Zidan is out with a long-term knee injury.

This leaves Ahli new boy Geddo and uncapped duo Ahmed Ali and Ahmed Mekki as the only available options in attack.

Zamalek star Shikabala has also been ruled out due to injury as Walid Soliman stepped in to deputize.

Another key player missing out is midfield ace Hosni Abd-Rabou, who suffered knee ligament damage last month and is expected back after six months.