Egypt's Mohamed Salah (10) fights for the ball with Cape Verde's Kevin Lenini during an Africa Cup of Nations Group C qualifying soccer match in Cairo Stadium, Egypt. Photo: AP
The Pharaohs will begin a camp later on Sunday as part of their preparations for these crucial fixtures.
Egypt is set to face Ethiopia in the fifth round of the qualifiers on 21 March in Morocco, followed by a home clash with Sierra Leone in the sixth round on 25 March.
Four rounds in, Egypt is leading Group A with 10 points, holding a four-point advantage over Guinea-Bissau and a five-point lead over Burkina Faso in third. Sierra Leone sits fourth in the group with five points, while Ethiopia is fifth with three points. Djibouti occupies the bottom spot with just one point.
Notably absent from the squad is Ahly’s in-form midfielder Emam Ashour despite being fit to play.
The 27-year-old is leading the Egyptian Premier League’s (EPL) scoring chart with nine goals this season.
The squad includes a first call-up for NBE Club goalkeeper Abdelaziz El-Balouti, 31, whose performance has been impressive this EPL season.
Egypt's 24-man squad
Goalkeepers: Mohamed El Shenawy (Ahly), Mostafa Shobeir (Ahly), Mohamed Awad (Zamalek), and Abdelaziz El-Balouti (NBE Club).
Defenders: Mohamed Abdel Moneim (Nice, France), Rami Rabia (Ahly), Mohamed Hani (Ahly), Ahmed Eid (Zamalek), Khaled Sobhi (Masry), and Hossam Abdelmaguid (Zamalek).
Midfielders: Hamdy Fathy (Al Wakrah, Qatar), Marwan Attia (Ahly), Ahmed Nabil (Ahly), Mohamed Shehata (Zamalek), Nabil Emad (Zamalek), Ahmed ‘Zizo’ Sayed (Zamalek), and Mahmoud Saber (Pyramids FC).
Forwards: Mahmoud Trezeguet (Al Rayyan, Qatar), Omar Marmoush (Man City, England), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool, England), Mostafa Mohamed (Nantes, France), Mostafa Fathi (Pyramids FC), Ibrahim Adel (Pyramids FC), and Osama Faisal (NBE Club).
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