From stars Salah and Hakimi to breakout talent Baleba, Al Jazeera picks 10 'must watch' footballers heading into AFCON.

Egypt and Nigeria make their final AFCON preparations when they face one another in a pre-tournament friendly in Cairo.

As the 35th edition of Afcon kicks off in Morocco on December 21, with the help of their talisman Salah, Egypt will be expected to top Group B, where their nearest rivals could be South Africa, a team the Pharaohs have beaten twice in three previous meetings at Afcon finals.

Chidozie Awaziem views Nigeria's 2-1 defeat to Egypt as a valuable AFCON rehearsal, offering a chance to test new players and tactics for the tournament.

The Pharaohs of Egypt edged the Super Eagles of Nigeria 2-1 in an international friendly played at the Cairo Stadium on Tuesday night.

The Super Eagles of Nigeria lost 2-1 to Egypt in their tune-up game ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

Egypt secured a narrow 2-1 win over the Super Eagles of Nigeria on Tuesday night in a pre-Africa Cup of Nations friendly at the Cairo International

In fact there are 11 Premier League clubs who have had more players called up to this year’s mid-season AFCON. Bertrand Traore (Burkina Faso), Arthur Masuaku, Noah Sadiki (DR Congo), Reinildo (Mozambique), Chemsdine Talbi (Morocco), Habib Diarra (Senegal)