Egypt defender Aly Ghazal has warned his teammates on the Pharaohs squad to be cautious when they take on eSwatini (formerly Swaziland) on Friday in Cairo in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. "We have to careful against eSwatini as we always play to win and we don't know what the opponent's tactics for the game are," Ghazal told a television programme late on Thursday. The former Wadi Degla player, who now plays for the Vancouver Whitecaps, made his first international appearance in four years during an impressive 6-0 home win over Niger in the qualifiers last month, and was the team's best performer. The 26-year-old defender, who was criticised for his performance when he last played with the Pharoahs in 2014, said that he agrees with his critics. "I don't have any problems with the criticism but I do not agree with saying I am a not qualified player; it's not logical," the former Wadi Degla player said. "We are all competing in the national team to book a regular place in the squad," he added. The Pharaohs are second in Group J with three points, three behind leaders Tunisia. They need to win the double header against eSwatini on 12 and 16 October to secure their ticket to next year's elite competition in Cameroon. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
