The Pharaohs, ranked third in Africa, commenced their AFCON campaign with a convincing 3-0 victory over Cape Verde in Cairo on Friday, positioning them at the top of their group.

Meanwhile, Botswana, ranked 44 in the continent, lost to Mauritania 1-0 in Nouakchott on Saturday.

Egypt enter the Botswana encounter with some key players sidelined.

Nantes' striker Mostafa Mohamed and Eintracht Frankfurt's winger Omar Marmoush will miss the game due to injuries sustained during the Blue Sharks.

Neom's defender Ahmed Hegazi will not be available as he was excluded from the squad following a disagreement with the technical staff.

Coach Hossam Hassan is set to rely on his strategic acumen and the availability of foreign-based players such as wingers Mohamed Salah and Mahmoud 'Trezeguet' Hassan.

"We are tailoring our approach to each player, leveraging the advantage of the foreign-based players' thorough preseason preparations," Hassan affirmed.

Defenders Rami Rabia and Mohamed Hamdi, who exited the Cape Verde match due to muscle fatigue, have been declared fit for the upcoming Botswana fixture.

Botswana encounter challenges
 

Egypt's contingent reached Botswana on Sunday to ready themselves for the AFCON qualifiers, whereas the hosts arrived belatedly on Monday.

Consequently, the hosts issued an official plea to reschedule the match to a nighttime kickoff instead of an afternoon.

Only the top two teams from each of the 12 groups will progress to the esteemed tournament slated to be held in Morocco.

(For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)