Zamalek's uncapped duo Ahmed Gaafar and Nour El-Sayed were called up by Egypt for the World Cup qualifier against Zimbabwe on 26 March. Towering striker Gaafar has finally been included in the Pharaohs' roster after some fine performances of late. The 27-year-old, who spearheads Zamalek's attack, scored three goals in six Egyptian Premier League appearances this season. Central midfielder Nour El-Sayed could also earn his first international cap after becoming a key player in the Cairo club's starting line-up. He is lauded for his powerful and accurate shots and his attacking instincts. Zamalek players made up the bulk of Egypt's squad after they made an impressive start to the season, bagging maximum 18 points from their first six league games. Goalkeeper Abdel-Wahed El-Sayed was recalled after a long absence as coach Bob Bradley snubbed veteran guardian Essam El-Hadary, who incurred the American's wrath after announcing his international retirement last month. El-Hadary, who is widely considered as Egypt's best-ever keeper, was angry after being benched in a friendly game against Chile. He later backtracked on his decision to hang up his gloves but Bradley hinted he would no longer feature in his plans. Experienced playmaker Mohamed Abou-Treika, who left Ahly to join Emirati club Bani Yas on loan last January, was named in the squad despite doubts over his fitness. The list included nine foreign-based players, including Basel duo Mohamed Salah and Mohamed El-Neny and Hull City's in-form striker Mohamed Nagy 'Gedo'. Bradley has come in for fierce criticism recently following a poor run for Egypt in friendly games, which included four consecutive defeats by Ghana, Ivory Coast, Chile and Qatar. However, the seven-time African champions look well equipped to finish on top of Group G and qualify for the final round, where they will play a two-legged encounter against one of the 10 groups' leaders for a place at next year's World Cup finals in Brazil. Egypt secured maximum six points from two games after defeating Mozambique and Guinea.
