Hamza Abdelkarim called up by Egypt for two games vs Malawi

Barcelona forward Hamza Abdelkarim (18) has been called up by Egypt for the two qualifiers against Malawi, on 13 and 17 November, according to Mundo Deportivo. Short on minutes so far this season with the Catalan club's first team, the young striker wants to earn a bigger role with his national side.

In the previous break he scored his first senior goal for Egypt in a 5-0 win over South Sudan, and he also featured in the 0-0 draw with Angola and the 1-0 defeat to South Africa. This time the bench has changed: Hossam Hassan was sacked before these matches and Ali Maher, who coached Cleopatra, has taken over.

Hamza is the only out-and-out centre forward in the squad, and Maher has tended to use a single striker, so his role could grow. The other attackers called up are Mohamed Salah, Omar Marmoush and Mahmoud Mamdouh, though they usually perform better on the wings. Hassan had been one of his main backers.