Skipper Ahmed Hassan will link up with his Egypt teammates on Saturday as the Pharaohs begin their preparation for the 2008 African Cup of Nations in Ghana. The in-form Anderlecht midfielder, who was named the CAN 2006 best player, scored in the Belgian champions' 3-2 league victory over Mons in the last match before the winter break. Hamburg's Mohamed Zidan will have a chance to put aside his club woes when he joins Egypt's training camp. The talented forward has been regularly kept on the bench by Hamburg boss Huub Stevens, who opts to field Croatian striker Ivica Olic and Peru's Jose Guerrero. Arab-based trio Ahmed Fathi, Wael Gomaa and Hassan Mostafa will also join the rest of their teammates on Saturday. Ahli's Emad Meteb, Shadi Mohamed and Essam Al-Hadari will not show up until the New Year's beginning as they are rested after a hectic domestic program. Ankaragucu defender Ibrahim Saied has been given the all-clear by Egypt medical staff to take part in training after recovering from injury. The five-time African champions will face Namibia, Mali and Angola in the build-up to CAN 2008 which kicks-off on January 20th.
