CAIRO: Egypt defender Wael Gomaa is looking forward to meeting England next month as he believes the African champions will be under no pressure in Wembley.
After clinching a third-successive Nations Cup title, Egypt face the European giants who gear up for the 2010 World Cup in the summer.
With regard to the fact that Hassan Shehata s team won t be in South Africa, Gomaa played down motivation fears as he sees many benefits from the high-profile friendly.
It is true our motives won t be too strong when we meet England because we are not in the World Cup, but there are many things we can get from this game, the 34-year-old center-half told FilGoal.com.
First we need to stress on the good image we have left after winning the Nations Cup and prove we deserved a place in the World Cup.
Nothing to lose
Egypt lost to Spain and Argentina after their continental triumphs in 2006 and 2008 respectively but Gomaa is hoping a good performance will be capped by a better result this time.
We lost against Spain and Argentina, but everyone knows we played well in both games, added the Ahli defender.
Playing against such big teams is useful regardless of the result. But hopefully we can play well and achieve a positive result against England this time.
However, if we didn’t, I think we ll lose nothing because it will be a good experience for our younger players anyways.
Teamwork
Finally, Gomaa dismissed the notion that some Egypt players will be looking to make a name for themselves when they face the stars of the Premier League.
I am not worried about our team at all. This game won t be an individual show for players to display their skills, said Africa s top defender.
In Angola, we excelled thanks to our teamwork and I am sure that coach Shehata will stress on this point in order to preserve our shape.
