Three of African football’s biggest names will be absent when Egypt and Nigeria meet in Cairo on Tuesday night, as both teams choose caution over risk in their final friendly before the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, Soccernet.ng reports.
Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah, Manchester City attacker Omar Marmoush and Nigeria’s talismanic striker Victor Osimhen will all miss the high-profile international fixture at Cairo International Stadium, a match billed as a dress rehearsal for AFCON in Morocco.
All three players were absent from their countries’ final training sessions on Monday, effectively ruling them out of the friendly.
Egyptian media reports say head coach Hossam Hassan has decided to rest Salah and Marmoush after their delayed arrival in camp, while Osimhen is yet to report to Nigeria’s base in Cairo despite having departed Galatasaray in Turkey.
This will deprive the fixture of its headline names just days before AFCON begins in Morocco.
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Egypt rest key attackers as AFCON focus sharpens
Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan is expected to prioritise fitness over spectacle, with Salah and Marmoush deliberately kept out of Monday night’s session despite having already arrived in Cairo.
Local reports, including FilGoal, indicated the decision was pre-planned, allowing the Premier League pair extra recovery time after late arrivals from club duty. Hassan trained 26 players instead, using the session to fine-tune his squad for Egypt’s AFCON opener against Zimbabwe on December 22.
The Pharaohs’ preparations were also shaped by minor fitness concerns elsewhere.
Ibrahim Hassan, Egypt’s national team director, confirmed that Mahmoud Hassan Trezeguet was rested entirely due to a dental procedure, while midfielder Ibrahim Adel continues to recover from an ankle sprain sustained in the UAE Pro League. Both are expected to be fit for the tournament opener.
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Marwan Attia, Mohamed Hamdy, Mahmoud Saber, Taher Mohamed, Omar Marmoush and Mostafa Mohamed of Egypt national team. Copyright: xSebastianxFrejxIMAGO
The Egyptian Football Association confirmed that international referee Mahmoud Nagi will officiate Tuesday’s match, assisted by Samir Gamal and Youssef El-Basaty, with full VAR support in place.
Following the Nigeria friendly, Egypt will travel to Morocco on Wednesday evening to complete final AFCON preparations.
Nigeria: Super Eagles step up camp without Osimhen, Chukwueze and Simon
Nigeria, meanwhile, held their first full AFCON training session in Cairo on Monday night, with 22 players working under head coach Eric Chelle as preparations gathered pace.
Victor Osimhen during the Super Eagles of Nigeria training. Photo by Nsidibe Akpan Copyright: xxIMAGO
However, Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen, Fulham winger Samuel Chukwueze and Paris FC wide man Moses Simon were all absent and will not feature against Egypt. Osimhen has left his club base in Turkey but is yet to report to camp, while Chukwueze is expected to join the squad later in Morocco.
Despite the absences, Chelle was encouraged by growing numbers in camp, with Blackburn Rovers defender Ryan Alebiosu arriving on Monday night.
training. Photo by Nsidibe Akpan Copyright: xxIMAGO
Goalkeepers Francis Uzoho, Stanley Nwabali and Amas Obasogie trained alongside defenders Calvin Bassey, Semi Ajayi, Bright Osayi-Samuel and Zaidu Sanusi. Midfield regulars Wilfred Ndidi, Alex Iwobi and Raphael Onyedika were also involved, while Ademola Lookman and Paul Onuachu are among those expected to shoulder attacking responsibility on Tuesday.
The friendly provides Chelle with a final opportunity to assess fringe players ahead of Nigeria’s AFCON campaign, which begins against Tanzania on December 23 before group games against Tunisia and Uganda.
Nigeria will depart for Morocco on Thursday, targeting a fourth continental title as they seek redemption after failing to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
