Egypt's coach Javier Aguirre has announced his first ever starting lineup since being appointed in August as the Pharaohs will play Niger on Saturday in the second round of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.. The 59-old Mexican tactician has made major changes to Egypt's lineup as he fielded Ahmed Elmohamady at the right-back, uncapped defender Baher El-Mohamady and returning midfielder Ali Ghazal. Aguirre has also opted for a 4-3-3 formation instead of the 4-2-3-1 adopted by his predecessor Hector Cuper. The Pharaohs hope to bounce back from their slow start after losing to Tunisia 1-0 in the first round of the qualifiers.
Egypt's starting XI: Mohamed El-Shennawi – Ahmed Elmohamady, Ahmed Hegazi, Ayman Ashraf, Baher El-Mohamadi – Tarek Hamed, Aly Ghazzal, Mohamed Elneny – Mohamed Salah, Mahmoud “Trezeguet” Hassan, Marwan Mohsen.