Borussia Dortmund forward Mohamed Zidan and Eskisehirspor defender Abdul-Zaher Al-Saqqa have been named in Egypt's provisional squad for their crucial World Cup qualifier with Algeria. Zidan fell out of favor with head coach Shehata after skipping a friendly game against Guinea in August. He did not explain his action to further infuriate the highly-respected tactician, who left him out of Egypt's squad for the World Cup qualifier against Zambia. Zidan later apologized and was pardoned after Egypt claimed a precious 1-0 victory at Zambia on Saturday to keep alive their hopes of reaching the World Cup for the first time since 1990. On the other hand, Ahli veteran Gomaa has been ruled out of the pivotal game through automatic suspension, and Al-Saqqa is now expected to fill the backline void. However, Gomaa was recalled to the squad in case a win for Egypt by a two-goal margin prompted a qualifying playoff game. Al-Saqqa's last competitive participation with his country was in the 2006 African Cup of Nations. The 34-year-old was named in Egypt's provisional squad for the exhibition match against Oman on May 30th, but was omitted from the final list. Al-Saqqa has repeatedly voiced his disgruntlement with his lack of participation on the international stage. But Gomaa's unavailability has given him a chance to revive his glorious days with the African champions. Zamalek goalie Abdul-Wahed Al-Sayed was also called up to the squad instead of Ittihad's Al-Hani Soliman. Emad Meteb also returned to Egypt's fold for the first time since suffering a serious knee injury last April while playing on loan at Saudi giants Ittihad. Egypt's provisional squad: Goalkeepers: Essam Al-Hadari, Abdul-Wahed Al-Sayed, Mahmoud Aboul-Saoud. Defenders: Hani Saied, Abdul-Zaher Al-Saqqa, Sherif Abdul-Fadil, Ahmed Saied 'Ouka', Moatasem Salem, Wael Gomaa. Midfielders: Ahmed Fathi, Ahmed Al-Muhammadi, Sayed Moawad, Abdul-Aziz Tawfeek, Ahmed Hassan, Mohamed Hommos, Hosni Abd-Rabou, Mohamed Shawky, Mohamed Shaaban, Ahmed Eid, Mohamed Barakat, Mohamed Abou-Treika. Strikers: Amr Zaki, Mohamed Zidan, Emad Meteb, Ahmed Raouf.
