Egypt coach Shawky Gharib has welcomed offers to face Argentina and Chile in friendlies on 31 May and 5 June.

The Pharaohs are preparing for the start of the African Cup of Nations qualifiers and are scheduled to play Bosnia in a warm-up game in March.

"The EFA board will hold a meeting with Gharib to discuss the friendly offers," football association spokesman Azmy Megahed told Al-Ahram Arabic news website on Thursday.

"The contracts for the friendlies will be agreed in the coming few days. 

"Gharib is happy with the offers as they will be good for the team."

The Pharaohs will begin their first training camp of the year on 28 February and are set to face Bosnia in a friendly in Austria on 5 March.

Egypt is hoping for a new era as they prepare for the African Cup of Nations in Morocco in July 2015.

Gharib confident of Ahly glory

The Egypt coach believes a victory for Ahly in the CAF Super Cup on Thursday will give the national side a boost.

"I will attend the game [at Cairo stadium] to support the players and encourage them to expand their collection of African trophies," Gharib said.

The Cairo giants won the African Champions League title in November after beating South Africa's Orlando. Sfaxien won the Confederation Cup title after beating TP Mazembe of DR Congo.

Ahly are the record holders of the African Super Cup with five titles under their belt. They beat Sfaxien 2-1 in the same competition in 2009. 

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