Egypt are eyeing victory over England in their friendly on Wednesday at Wembley Stadium at 10pm (Cairo time), so that they can continue to climb in FIFA's rankings, in which they are currently in tenth place. Egyptians, who won the African Cup of Nations (ACN) in Angola last January, are preparing for the next ACN qualifiers, starting in September. England, who are warming up for the South Africa World Cup finals in June, take Wednesday's game seriously as Egypt have recently encountered Algeria, who will meet England in the World Cup with the US and Slovenia. Although it is a friendly, it is crucial for both teams, say experts. Many Egyptian officials and ordinary members of the public have flown to London to support the Pharaohs. Meanwhile, Egypt's Ahmed Hossam 'Mido' has warned England of the threat they will face from Egypt's strike partners Mohamed Zidan and Emad Met'eb in Wednesday's friendly. The West Ham's striker, who still has no place in Hassan Shehata's roster, believes his mates have what it takes to upset the Three Lions at Wembley. Mido has even tipped Borussia Dortmund's Zidan to play for the likes of Arsenal in future. "Zidan is one of the great players for my country right now. He is a second striker, more of a link man than an out-and-out goalscorer," Mido said. "He is very quick, confident on the ball and, of course, when the chance comes, the guy can score goals. He has done very well and is getting more and more attention,” he added. “Zidan,” he went on to say, “could be successful in England if he goes to a good footballing club. He needs to be in a team that plays good football, beautiful football like Arsenal”. According to Mido, England will also have trouble with Met'eb, our penalty-box poacher. He holds the ball well and, if the chance comes, he will take it. "Met'eb is almost like an Italian, he can score from follow-ups, nick one or two from tap-ins. I expect him to play up front and Zidan will play off him,” he added. Mido has praised Fabio Capello's decision to pick Egypt for a warm-up game before meeting Algeria in the World Cup. "This is a great choice by Fabio Capello, even though Algeria play a pretty strict 4-4-2. Algeria will be very aggressive, not dirty, but they will close you down quickly to defend. "Algeria will play the same style of football as Egypt in the World Cup. They try to keep the ball like us, to pass it around. They will slow the game down. "Egypt can break very fast from defence to attack - just like Algeria. This match at Wembley will be good preparation for England before they meet Algeria in June. But maybe we will even show Algeria how to score against England!" he said. “Egypt have to defeat England in Wednesday's friendly match to prove that they can punch above their weight,” said Egypt's and Ahly of Dubai's midfielder Hosni Abd Rabou. The Pharaohs put in an astounding performance, but lost 4-3 to Brazil before beating world champions Italy 1-0 in the Confederations Cup group stage last year. "Our three goals against Brazil and victory over Italy make us feel that a win over England is essential," Abd Rabou told FilGoal.com. "Everyone in England knows that we are a high-profile team, which is why this game was set up in the first place." The game may be difficult for Egypt as the weather is cold and, if it rains, the conditions will turn from bad to worse. Abou Treika might play, as he's feeling better and has participated brilliantly in training. Goalie Essam el-Hadari is also on great form. Egypt's assistant coach Shawqi Gharib has warned the players against indifference or inactivity, urging them to concentrate and do their best. Gharib said that, although England had strong veteran players, so did Egypt, while they recently became African champions for the third time in a row. Meanwhile, England's Wayne Rooney has been declared fit for England's Wembley friendly, after a scan on his injured knee revealed no serious damage. Rooney came off the bench to score the winner in Manchester United's 2-1 win over Aston Villa in Sunday's League Cup final and manager Alex Ferguson said that a further knock to his already painful knee had left him in doubt for Wednesday's match. Rooney, however, said he expected to play. "It's OK. I went for a scan and it was just a bit of bruising," he told a televised news conference Monday night. “I've scored a few headers of late. I've worked on them for the past couple of years now.” Rooney also had words of support for John Terry, who was stripped of the England captaincy after newspaper allegations over his affair with the ex-girlfriend of his former Chelsea's teammate Wayne Bridge. "John Terry is a leader for our team and, although he hasn't got the armband, he's still a great player and a great leader. He's a great player, he's been named in the world XI for the past three years and there are no worries about his form,” he claims. Rooney has declined to comment on Bridge's decision to retire from international duty in the wake of the revelations, but says he hopes the Wembley crowd would give Terry a good reception. "I've been in a team when a few players have been booed at Wembley; it's not nice and it doesn't send the right message," he said. "Egypt will be difficult to play against, they've won the African Cup of Nations three times in a row and it will be a tough game," said Rooney. "We want to try to prepare well for the World Cup. I'm sure if the manager has got different ideas he'll use them on Wednesday and it will give him a chance to look at a few other players too."
