Egypt begin defence of Cup

JOHANNESBURG – Champions Egypt head a list of 44 African countries who start their campaigns this weekend to qualify for the 2008 Nations Cup.

Only Ivory Coast and Zimbabwe have the weekend off. The Egyptians should have little to fear against Burundi in Cairo tomorrow on their way to the 16-team final tournament in Ghana.They are taking no chances against the tiny east African country, ranked 156th in the world, however, with coach Hassan Shehata recalling new Tottenham Hotspur signing Mido to lead the attack and keeping faith the squad that won the title in February.Only defender Wael Gomaa, given leave of absence to have a trial at Newcastle United this week, is missing from the Egypt squad.Countries such as Cameroon, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa will look to the qualifying competition as an opportunity to assuage the disappointment of missing the recent World Cup finals in Germany.Nigeria named a full-strength side for their Group Three game against northern neighbours Niger in Abuja but their preparations have been curtailed by injury to new Newcastle signing Obafemi Martins and the non-arrival of Portsmouth’s Nwankwo Kanu and Middlesbrough striker Yakubu Aiyegbeni.Coach Augustine Eguavoen said he hoped they would arrive in time for tomorrow’s match.Cameroon unveil Dutch coach Arie Haan away in Rwanda, where the Indomitable Lions can expect a tough assignment on a small and bumpy pitch in Kigali.Samuel Eto’o returns to lead Cameroon’s attack in the Group Five match on Sunday after missing their recent friendly in France against Guinea.Morocco are heavily fancied to beat Malawi in their Group 12 match in Rabat on Saturday but their preparations have been overshadowed by the decision of Roma’s Hossine Kharja and Olympiakos defender Abdeslam Ouaddou to quit after a selection row with coach Mohamed Fakhir.South Africa have to do without key players Benni McCarthy and Quinton Fortune for a tricky match against Congo in Johannesburg on Saturday.Both have pulled out of the squad.Senegal play a first competitive match under their new coach Henryk Kasperczak when they host Mozambique in Dakar.Tunisia have named an experimental team for the trip to Mauritius in a Group Four match while Angola, who also played in the World Cup in June, have a familiar look about their side.They have a tricky away tie in Group Six against Swaziland.Togo, who despite upheavals and disagreements at the World Cup, have retained German Otto Pfister as their coach, host neighbours Benin in their first home match since last September.Nampa-ReutersThe Egyptians should have little to fear against Burundi in Cairo tomorrow on their way to the 16-team final tournament in Ghana.They are taking no chances against the tiny east African country, ranked 156th in the world, however, with coach Hassan Shehata recalling new Tottenham Hotspur signing Mido to lead the attack and keeping faith the squad that won the title in February.Only defender Wael Gomaa, given leave of absence to have a trial at Newcastle United this week, is missing from the Egypt squad.Countries such as Cameroon, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa will look to the qualifying competition as an opportunity to assuage the disappointment of missing the recent World Cup finals in Germany.Nigeria named a full-strength side for their Group Three game against northern neighbours Niger in Abuja but their preparations have been curtailed by injury to new Newcastle signing Obafemi Martins and the non-arrival of Portsmouth’s Nwankwo Kanu and Middlesbrough striker Yakubu Aiyegbeni.Coach Augustine Eguavoen said he hoped they would arrive in time for tomorrow’s match.Cameroon unveil Dutch coach Arie Haan away in Rwanda, where the Indomitable Lions can expect a tough assignment on a small and bumpy pitch in Kigali.Samuel Eto’o returns to lead Cameroon’s attack in the Group Five match on Sunday after missing their recent friendly in France against Guinea.Morocco are heavily fancied to beat Malawi in their Group 12 match in Rabat on Saturday but their preparations have been overshadowed by the decision of Roma’s Hossine Kharja and Olympiakos defender Abdeslam Ouaddou to quit after a selection row with coach Mohamed Fakhir.South Africa have to do without key players Benni McCarthy and Quinton Fortune for a tricky match against Congo in Johannesburg on Saturday.Both have pulled out of the squad.Senegal play a first competitive match under their new coach Henryk Kasperczak when they host Mozambique in Dakar.Tunisia have named an experimental team for the trip to Mauritius in a Group Four match while Angola, who also played in the World Cup in June, have a familiar look about their side.They have a tricky away tie in Group Six against Swaziland.Togo, who despite upheavals and disagreements at the World Cup, have retained German Otto Pfister as their coach, host neighbours Benin in their first home match since last September.Nampa-Reuters