"I won't be able to participate as my neck hurts me. I'm confident my teammates will be able to accomplish our task," Meteb told Nile Sports channel.

The Ahli striker was expected to partner the in-form Amr Zaki upfront as Egypt look for a big victory over minnows Djibouti.

Ismaili's Mohamed Fadl will deputize for him.

Meteb has not scored for Egypt since netting a hat-trick against Angola in an African Cup of Nations warm-up last January.

Although he was a regular starter for Egypt during their Nations Cup triumphant campaign, he failed to impress in Ghana.