Liverpool skipper leads Egypt to AFCON

Egypt is led by Salah into the Africa Cup of Nations.
Mahmoud Kahraba, a forward for Al Ahly, will attack alongside Salah, a star player for Liverpool.
AFP in Cairo
LAST EDITED at 11:54 PM on December 30, 2023
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Mohamed Salah
Mohamed Salah
Liverpool striker Rui Vitoria, the Portuguese manager of the record seven-time champion Egypt, announced the team’s Africa Cup of Nations roster on Saturday, with Mohamed Salah as the standout player. Mahmoud Kahraba, a forward for Al Ahly, will accompany Salah in the attack.
Hussein El Shahat and Mohamed Magdy of Al Ahly, Abdallah Said of the Egyptian club Pyramids, and Mahmoud Hamdy of Zamalek are not eligible to compete in the Ivory Coast competition, which takes place from January 13 to February 11.
Given that Egypt had not won a major tournament since 2010, particularly after losing to Senegal in the 2021 Cup of Nations final, Vitoria was pessimistic about his team’s chances. Regarding his team, which was paired with Ghana, Cape Verde, and Mozambique in Group B, he declared, “We will treat each game as a final.”
Egypt national team
Goalkeepers: Mohamed Abou Gabal (National Bank of Egypt), Mohamed Elshenawy (Al Ahly), Ahmed El-Shenawy (Pyramids), and Mohamed Sobhi (Zamalek).
Defenders: Ali Gabr, Osama Galal, Ahmed Samy, Mohamed Hamdy Sharaf (all Pyramids), Omar Kamal Abdelwahed (Futur), Ahmed Fatouh (Zamalek), Ahmed Hegazy (Al Ittihad), Mohamed Abdelmonemem (Al Ahly), Mohamed Hany (Al Ahly),
Midfielders: Ahmed Sayed “Zizou” (Zamalek), Mahmoud Hamada (Al Masry), Marwan Attia, Emam Ashour, Mohamed Elneny (Arsenal/ENG), and Hamdi Fathi (Al Wakrah/QAT).
Mostafa Fathi (Pyramids), Mahmoud “Trezeguet” Hassan (Trabzonspor/TUR), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool/ENG), Mostafa Mohamed (Nantes/FRA), Mahmoud Abdel Moneim “Kahraba” (Al Ahly), and Ahmed Hassan “Kuka” (Bendikspor/TUR) are the forwards.
Bennacer of Milan is back in the Algerian team.
Ismael Bennacer, a midfielder for AC Milan, is making his first appearance in the Algeria squad for the African Nations Cup finals next month after having knee surgery in May.
After almost seven months recuperating from surgery to repair a cartilage injury to his right knee suffered during the Champions League semifinals of the previous season, Bennacer made his league debut with Milan earlier this month.
The 26-year-old’s last Algerian game was in March during the Nations Cup qualifiers. In addition, Wolverhampton Wanderers defender Rayan Ait Nouri, AS Roma midfielder Houssem Aouar, who has been sidelined due to muscular pain, and Al Ahli forward Riyad Mahrez were selected by Algerian coach Djamel Belmadi.
Said Benrahma, a winger for West Ham, was left off of the final 26-man roster that was revealed. Benrahma was included in Algeria’s preliminary list last week.
Algeria’s Nations Cup finals campaign begins on January 15 against Angola, their Group D rivals, and then moves on to face Burkina Faso and Mauritania.
Algerian UnitGoalkeepers: Rais Mbolhi (CR Belouizdad), Oussama Benbot (USM Alger), and Anthony Mandrea (SM Caen).
Defenders: Mohamed Tougai (Esperance Tunis), Ramy Bensebaini (Borussia Dortmund), Ahmed Touba (US Lecce), Zineddine Belaid (USM Alger), Yasser Larouci (Sheffield United), Kevin Guitoun (Metz), Rayan Ait Nouri (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Youcef Atal (Nice), Aissa Mandi (Villarreal), and Mohamed Tougai (Esperance Tunis).
Midfielders: Hicham Boudaoui (Nice), Ismael Bennacer (AC Milan), Fares Chaibi (Eintracht Frankfurt), Houssem Aouar (AS Roma), Sofiane Feghouli (Fatih Karagumruk), Nabil Bentaleb (Lille), and Ramiz Zerrouki (Feyenoord Rotterdam)
Forwards: Youcef Belaili (MC Alger), Baghdad Bounedjah (Al Sadd), Islam; Mohamed Amoura (Union Saint-Gilloise); Mohamed Mahrez (Al Ahli); Amine Gouiri (Stade Rennais);