Nassr midfielder Ghaly managed to re-establish his national team place by breaking into Shehata's African Cup of Nations roster after missing out on several occasions last year.

In the same manner, Zamalek full-back Abdul-Shafi and Ittihad playmaker Geddo impressed in the warm-up games against Malawi and Mali, with the latter scoring the winning goal on Monday.

"The importance of the new faces like Ghaly, Abdul-Shafi and Geddo has been demonstrated," Egypt coach Shehata told reporters in Dubai.

"I think it has been a very successful experience for the trio. They quickly settled in and felt the atmosphere of tough international matches.

"I believe our warm-up has been very useful for the team."

Egypt start their title defense in Angola against Nigeria on January 12th, before meeting Mozambique and Benin.