Olympiacos' Egyptian striker Ahmed 'Kouka' Hassan is confirmed to miss Thursday's match against Arsenal in the Europa League due to his recent injury. The player was excluded from the squad announced by the Greek club on Wednesday for the anticipated game. The Gunners will be hosting Olympiacos at the Emirates Stadium in the second leg of the tournament's last-16. Arsenal secured a precious 3-1 away win over the Greek club in the first leg last Thursday. The 28-year-old Egyptian International Kouka, who played the last 15 minutes against Arsenal in the first leg, scored his eighth goal in the Greek League on Sunday when he helped his side claim a 3-1 win over AE Larissa. The towering striker converted a penalty in the 33rd minute, before leaving the pitch four minutes later due to an injury. Olympiacos didn't reveal any details about Kouka's injury so far. Kouka's participation with Egypt in the two upcoming clashes against Kenya and Comoros in the African Nations Cup qualifiers remains in doubt, especially after being excluded from Thursday's game with Arsenal. Kouka, who netted five goals in 26 international appearances, has been among the list of six foreign-based players called by Pharaohs' coach Hossam El-Badri for the two qualifiers. Egypt will face Kenya away from home on 25 March, before hosting Comoros four days later at the Cairo Stadium, as the Pharaohs are looking to cement their position at the top of group G. Kouka produced a string of strong displays with Olympiacos this season, scoring 12 goals in 28 appearances. He spent around two months on the sidelines after testing positive for COVID-19 following Egypt's 3-1 win over Togo in an African Nations Cup qualifier on 15 November, before returning to action in mid-January. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
