The Egyptian youth team is set to play six friendly games in preparation for the Under-20 African Cup of Nations in January, manger Ismail Youssef said on Tuesday. Youssef told FilGoal.com that Egyptian Football Association chairman Samir Zaher has approved the preparation plan that also includes short-period camps set to start in November. Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and African Cup hosts Congo are likely to be the opponents in these friendlies, Youssef said. Egypt play in Group B that also includes Cameron, Nigeria and Zambia. The top three finishers in the tournament will qualify to the 2007 World Youth Championship in Canada. Meanwhile, the Malian Olympic team has accepted an invitation to play Egypt in a friendly on November 15th. The Olympic team will also play Kuwait before taking on Ivory Coast in a two-legged tie in the Beijing Olympic Games qualifiers.
