Egyptian national team assistant coach Osama Nabih has said that three new players will be tested during the Kuwait friendly game in May, one month ahead of the start of the 2018 World Cup in Russia. "There will always be surprises. We are monitoring three players in the Egyptian Premier League and they could be called up," Nabih told a radio station Thursday morning.

Ahmed El-Sheikh marked his debut with a goal and Mahmoud Kahraba and Mohamed Elneny were also on target as Egypt strolled to a 3-0 friendly win over Togo on Tuesday in their first match since finishing as runners-up at the African Nations Cup last month.

Just hours after a controversial four-match ban for star attacker Leo Messi, Argentina have lost 2-0 against Bolivia in La Paz. Were they missing the Barcelona star, or simply struggling with the altitude?Juan Carlos Arce and Marcelo Martins Moreno netted for the home team either side of half time on Tuesday, securing Bolivia a big scalp in their World Cup qualification campaign.

Egypt coach Hector Cuper said on Tuesday he is satisfied with his side s training camp in Switzerland despite two losses, saying the friendly games were important to test new players. The Pharaohs slumped to a 1-0 loss to Greece on Tuesday, four days after throwing away their lead to suffer a 2-1 defeat by European champions Portugal after conceding two goals in stoppage time.

Egypt s coach Hector Cuper is expected to test new players in his squad when the Pharaohs face Greece on Tuesday in the second friendly match of the current training camp in Zurich amid preparations for the World Cup. The Egyptians still have bad memories from their last encounter against Greece, having lost 6-1 in a humilating match back in 1990. Cuper s men are not driven by revenge, but instead are concerned with improving their performance ahead of the World Cup.

Following their strong performance against Portugal in Friday s friendly ahead of the 2018 World Cup, Egypt coach Hector Cuper said the Pharaohs are ready to face any of the heavyweight teams they may encounter in the gigantic competition. A delightful goal from Mohamed Salah put Egypt on the verge of a famous friendly win over European champions Portugal, only for Cristiano Ronaldo to head home twice during stoppage time, one with the help of video replay.

Egyptian Sports Minister Khaled Abdel-Aziz has said on Saturday that Cairo is in talks to obtain the broadcast rights of at least 24 World Cup matches for Egyptian television. When asked during an interview with Egyptian TV channel ON E if Egypt would let local viewers watch the World Cup on Israeli channels like in 2014, Abdel-Aziz replied: "Egypt will also broadcast at least 24 matches of the competition."

Zlatan Ibrahimovic looks set to leave Manchester United imminently and join Los Angeles Galaxy, according to media reports in Britain and the United States on Thursday. There was no immediate confirmation from either club or the Swedish striker s management.

CAF Champions League holders Wydad Casablanca qualified for the competition s group stage with a 7-4 aggregate win over Williamsville Athletic Club, with Congolese giants TP Mazembe also marching through. Despite losing 2-0 in Abidjan in the return leg, a 7-2 home victory from the first leg meant the Moroccans have almost secured qualification for the group stage.

Liverpool forwards are focused on the club s progress and under no pressure to match playmaker Mohamed Salah s goal-scoring exploits this season, striker Roberto Firmino has said. Egyptian Salah leads the race for the European Golden Shoe award, ahead of Barcelona forward Lionel Messi, after notching an impressive 36 goals and 12 assists in 41 appearances across all competitions in his debut season at Liverpool.

Egypt s Zamalek suffered a shock exit from the CAF Confederation Cup round of 32 after losing 4-3 on penalties to Ethiopia s Wolaitta Dicha following a 2-2 aggregate draw in Cairo on Sunday. After losing 2-1 in Hawassa earlier this month, Zamalek triumphed with the same scoreline in regular time to force a penalty shootout that condemned them to a bitter exit at the first hurdle.

Liverpool star winger Mohamed Salah believes that Egypt can go far at the 2018 World Cup, adding that he wants to help his club win the UEFA Champions League title this season. "Egypt could go far at the World Cup. The team includes youth players who want to deliver all they can, and the same goes for the experienced ones," Salah said in a press conference in London on Sunday while penning a sponsorship deal with Vodafone.

Egypt s out-of-action national football team have dropped one position in this month s FIFA global rankings, down to 44th place. The Pharaohs are fifth among African countries, behind unchanged places Tunisia (23), Senegal (27), Congo DR (39) and Morocco (42). They are third among Arab countries, after Tunisia and Morocco.

Just few hours after announcing his contract renewal, Ahly announced early on Wednesday that star playmaker Abdallah El-Said has been put on the market without disclosing further details. "The football committee asked the marketing sector to start negotiations to sell Abdallah El-Said or to send him out on loan amid the offers that reached Ahly from clubs outside Egypt," Ahly s football director Sayed Abdel-Hafiz was quoted as saying by the club s official website.

Egyptian champions Ahly tied down Abdallah El-Said to a new deal on Tuesday, ending speculation over the future of the veteran playmaker who reports suggested had mulled the prospect of making a shocking move to cross-town rivals Zamalek. With his contract expiring at the end of the season, El-Said was reportedly reluctant to extend his deal after Ahly had made it clear they could not afford to meet his financial demands.

The transfer value of Liverpool s Egyptian winger Mohamed Salah has been estimated at €162.8 million by a CIES Football Observatory study, topping the list of players in the five big European leagues. The 25-year-old Salah leads the list of players, with his value increasing the most over the past six months. His transfer value went up by €74.7 million, while Manchester City duo Ederson Moraes and Leroy Sané increased by €74.4 million and €63 million respectively.

Arsenal s Egyptian midfielder Mohamed Elneny said he and his teammates are doing their best to end the season on a high note, insisting that under-fire coach Arsene Wenger is "among the best managers in the world". The Premier League side were dealt three successive league losses before returning to winning ways on Sunday after beating Watford 3-0.

Ahly s Moroccan striker Walid Azaro has been called up by Morocco for the first time since last June, as coach Herve Renard named him in the squad that will prepare this summer s World Cup. Morocco will face Serbia in a friendly game on the 23rd of this month in Italy before meeting Uzbekistan four days later in Casablanca in a World Cup warm-up. Azaro produced many fine displays with Ahly this season, scoring 17 goals to top the Egyptian League s top scorers list.

Egypt s Zamalek suffered a stunning defeat on their opening African Confederation Cup game, falling 2-1 at Ethiopia s Wolaitta Dicha after conceding a late goal in the first-leg of the competition s round of 32 on Wednesday. A sublime volley from Bezabeh Meleyo gave Dicha an early lead but Zamalek winger Emad Fathi pounced on a defensive mistake to level the score seven minutes before the break.

Paris St Germain are hoping their Parc des Princes crowd will help them overturn a 3-1 deficit in their Champions League last-16 return leg against Real Madrid as they try to cope without the injured Neymar. The talismanic Brazilian forward was ruled out of the game on Tuesday after undergoing foot surgery, but PSG coach Unai Emery is confident the home fans will play a key role.

Lionel Messi in full flow is one of the most exhilarating sights in football and a threat that puts defences on red alert, but the Barcelona talisman has become just as dangerous from dead ball situations too. With a perfectly-placed dipping free kick from 23 metres out on Sunday, Messi beat Atletico Madrid s wall and towering goalkeeper Jan Oblak to earn Barcelona a vital 1-0 win over their La Liga title rivals at Camp Nou.