Hamburg coach Huub Stevens asked Mohamed Zidan to skip the African Cup of Nations but the Egypt striker insists he wants to play in Ghana 2008. The Dutch manager hopes to persuade Zidan to stay in Germany during the tournament that would make him unavailable for more than a month. "The coach is hoping to keep me when the tournament starts in January, because we have several African players who will leave," Zidan told Egyptian TV. Hamburg are expected to miss defender Timothee Atouba of Cameroon, midfielders Otto Addo of Ghana and Collin Benjamin of Namibia. The number could rise if Cameroonian-born striker Eric Choupo-moting joined the Lions. But Zidan, who missed Egypt's triumph in CAN 2006 on home soil, is determined to play in Ghana. "I missed the 2006 victory, but I hope to play for Egypt this time. I will do my best to make it," he added. Meanwhile the 25-year-old expressed his delight with his side's 4-1 Bundesliga win over champions Stuttgart on Saturday. Zidan played 90 minutes as captain Rafael Van der Vaart missed the game with injury. He set up hat-trick-hero Ivica Olic for the opening goal. "I am very happy because I helped the team for a big win," said a jubilant Zidan, who used to play off the bench since joining Hamburg in the summer. "I had the chance to play the full game, and I am looking forward to the UEFA Cup game on Thursday." Hamburg will visit Norway's Brann in their opening UEFA Cup game on Thursday.
