Egypt coach Bob Bradley has said he is angry about comments made by certain players left out of his provisional squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

"I am depressed by the comments of some players who were left out of the squad," Bradley told a television programme on Saturday.

"I ask them to stop criticising the team and call on them to back the new faces in the squad to reach our target of qualifying for the World Cup," he added.

The 55-year-old American recently announced his preliminarily squad for a closed training camp in El-Defaa El-Gawi stadium to prepare for the upcoming qualifiers.

"I demand the young players do their best and work hard to book a regular place in the squad," Bradley concluded.

Egypt will face Botswana in a friendly game on Tuesday before flying to Zimbabwe for a World Cup qualifying game on 9 June. The Pharaohs will face Mozambique away from home seven days later.

The seven-time African champions are on top of the Group G with nine points, five ahead of second-placed Guinea and seven clear of Mozambique with three matches remaining. Zimbabwe lie at the bottom with a solitary point.

The winners of the 10 groups will advance to a two-leg playoff to determine Africa's five representatives at next year's World Cup in Brazil.

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