Former Real Madrid full-back Michel Salgado, who has been appointed one of Egypt's two assistant coaches, has promised fans that the Pharaohs will fight for the 2019 African Cup of Nations title. "We know well the responsibility of leading Egypt's national team in the Nations Cup, but we ask the Egyptian people to be confident, as we will do our best during the tournament," Salgado told a local television programme on Sunday. Egypt, who defeated Guinea 3-1 on Sunday in their last warm-up ahead of the tournament, will open their Nations Cup campaign against Zimbabwe on Friday at Cairo's international stadium. "The first half of the game against Guinea was difficult on the players but after conceding a goal our performance improved and we managed to win the game," Salgado said. Egypt is hosting this year's Nations Cup, which has been expanded to 24 teams and will take place from 21 June to 19 July. The Pharaohs claimed a 1-0 win over Tanzania on Thursday in another friendly. The record seven-time African champions will play in Group A along with DR Congo, Uganda and Zimbabwe. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)