Earlier today, the Portuguese coach announced his final squad for the camp’s two games; the first against Ethiopia on 8 September in the final round of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, before a friendly against Tunisia on 12 September.

“The next two games are very important for us. The first is against Ethiopia that defeated us before and we know that it will be a difficult game and we will play to win to end the qualifiers in the first place,” Vitoria said in a press conference on Tuesday.

“The second game is against Tunisia and also it will be difficult and a good test for us,” he added.

Vitoria included four Ahly players despite the club’s request that their players be exempted due to their clash with USM Alger in the African Super Cup on 15 September.

The coach said that the national team is a priority but at the same time he takes into consideration other teams interest.

"We didn't want to disturb the team's preparations ahead of the new season. As for Ahly we only picked four players and that is less than the 9 players included during our last camp. We will assess the situation again after the first game and some players could depart and new faces could be joining,” he added.

Vitoria said he wants to test new players and give them a chance to gain experience on the international level.

Under Vitoria's guidance, Egypt has won all seven games, scoring 17 goals and conceding only two. The Pharaohs also topped Group D in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, securing a place in the 2023 cup to be played in Cote D'Ivoire.

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