After warming up in the heat of Oman, the Egyptian national football team is setting its sights on the World Cup qualifier against Algeria on Sunday, Inas Mazhar reports Despite the heat in the Gulf region, the national team managed to train twice on a daily basis in Oman. And in front of a high spectator turnout, mainly Egyptian expatriates, the Pharaohs beat their hosts 1- 0 with star striker Mohamed Abu Treika netting the only goal of the match in the 48th minute. In a freak accident worthy of a Youtube appearance, Amr Zaki banged his face against the head of teammate Ahmed Eid Abdel-Malek as they were jumping for joy following the goal. Zaki received six stitches in the forehead. He was bandaged and forced to watch the rest of the game from the bench. Head coach Hassan Shehata said the friendly against Oman was positive before the crucial game against Algeria. "Now I'm confident in my players before the Algeria game. It was a chance to try all of them in different positions and formations," he said. Two days before Oman, Shehata announced his line up for the match. Accordingly, the players belonging to Ahli, Haras Al-Hedoud and Enppi were allowed to join their teams in the Confederations Cup. The reigning African champions returned home on Sunday immediately after the game. They had a two-day break before resuming their closed training camp which ends Friday after which they go to Algeria on board a private jet. "We are aware that the Algeria game will be very tough. It's not only the rivalry between the two teams but also between the spectators. Therefore, I have instructed the players to remain calm and focus on the game, ignore the spectators and whatever is happening in the stands," Shehata added. The Egypt vs Algeria match is scheduled for the 25,000-seat stadium in Belida, a city about 100km from Algiers the capital. Intense preparations from both sides have been taking place throughout the past several months. A delegation from the Egyptian Football Association travelled to Algeria in March and together with Egyptian diplomats at the embassy, met with the Algerian Football Association officials to discuss arrangements for the game. The Algerian media is also gearing up for the match and as game time approaches, so too more media coverage is being allocated. Reports from Algeria say the Algerians have prepared a special reception for Abou Treika who visited Algeria at the beginning of the year to receive the best player of the year award from Al-Hadaf newspaper in Algeria. The North Africans appreciated the player's insistence on making the trip while his team Ahli was preparing for an important game. "These two matches are the best for us in our build-up for the Confederations Cup which kicks off in South Africa on 14 June. We were placed in a tough group and we are scheduled to play our opener against Brazil on 15 June. If we overcome Algeria, we will enter the Confederations Cup more confident. We'll be flying two days after the Algeria game and we need to be in high spirits," Shehata said. The World Cup qualifier against Algeria will be the second in the first-leg matches for Egypt which drew with Zambia 1-1 in Cairo Stadium in March at the start of their campaign. Following the Confederations Cup, Egypt will play their third World Cup qualifier against Rwanda on 5 July. The second-leg matches are to take place in August and will end in November when all the 2010 World Cup continental qualifications are concluded.
