Egypt national team coach Hector Cuper has called up on-loan Chelsea forward Mohamed Salah and Hull City winger Ahmed Elmohamady to join the team's short squad for the friendly against Malawi as a preparation for the 2017 African Cup of Nations qualifiers.

The pharaohs are scheduled to face Malawi in a friendly on eight June as they prepare to kick off their bid to reach the Gabon finals on 14 June against Tanzania.

Egypt, who have won seven AFCON trophies, have been drawn in Group G of the 2017 qualifiers along with Nigeria, Tanzania and Chad.

The Egyptian squad for the Malawi friendly will not include Ahly and Zamalek players who have continental commitments with their clubs but are expected to be called on after the CAF Confederation Cup games.

Ahly and Zamalek are scheduled to play the second leg games of the CAF Confederation Cup round of 16 on seven June, one day before the Malawi match.

The team has been out of action since November when they failed to qualify for the 2015 African Cup of Nations, under former coach Shawky Gharib. They have only played a friendly match in March, weeks after Cuper’s appointment, defeating Equatorial Guinea 2-0.

Egypt squad:

Goalkeepers: Ali Lotfy (ENPPI), Mohamed Awad (Masry)

Defenders:Mohamed Abdel-Shafy (Saudi's Ahly), Karim Hafez (Lierse - Belgium), Rami Rabia (Sporting Lisbon - Portugal), Mahmoud Kawod (ENPPI), Ragab Nabil (Wadi Degla)

Midfielders: Ahmed Fathi (Umm Salal - Qatar), Ahmed Hegazy (Perugia - Italy), Salaeh Gomaa (Nacional - Portugal), Ahmed Hassan Mekky (haras El-Hodoud), Mohamed Hamdi Zaki (Ittihad of Alexandria), Amr El-Soulia (Ismaily), Mohamed Salem (Arab Contractors)

Strikers: Mohamed Salah (Fiorentina), Salah Ashour, Mahmoud "Kahraba" (ENPPI), Mohamed El-Gabbas (Wadi Degla), Mohamed Ashraf (Talae El-Geish).

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