Egypt international Ahmed El Mohamady is in optimistic mood despite anticipating a tough challenge in Sunday's World Cup qualifier against Ghana.

The Pharaohs, who beat Congo in their group opener, are seeking to pick maximum points at the Borg El Arab Stadium to boost their chances of competing in the Fifa World Cup since 1990.

Having dropped two points at home against Uganda, Ghana, on their part, are targeting a return to winning ways.

“Ghana’s draw in the first game and our away win over Congo gave us a huge boost,” Mohamady told ON Sports satellite channel.

“Ghana is a tough opponent, they’ve strong players who play in Europe and they understand the importance of big games.

"We too have experienced players so we’re expecting a difficult game.

“This match represents a bottleneck for us as it’s against our main rival Ghana.

"We will do our best and our aim is to win and get the three points."

Egypt made their debut at the Italy 1934 World Cup, and had to wait for 56 years to make a return at the 1990 finals hosted again by Italy.

The Pharaohs came close to reaching Brazil 2014 but they suffered a 7-3 aggregate defeat to Ghana in the final playoff of the qualifiers.

The North Africans will do without Braga striker Ahmed Hassan 'Koka' and winger Mahmoud Abdel-Moneim Kahraba in Sunday's fixture.

Stoke City youngster Ramadan Sobhi, however, has overcome an injury picked up while in club action against West Ham United in the English Premier League on Saturday.