Egypt are drawn against Algeria, Zambia and Rwanda in the qualifiers' final phase group, and Gharib is convinced that teams with nothing to lose will pose the biggest threat.

"I believe we were drawn in a balanced group where all teams have equal chances of making it to the World Cup," Gharib said in an interview with FilGoal.com.

"Algeria are a team with great history, but I don't think they will be our sole competitors.

Gharib is convinced that unlike Algeria, both Zambia and Rwanda will play their qualifiers without any pressure as no one expects them to reach the World Cup.

"Zambia and Rwanda are not fighting for their reputation and it will not be considered a failure if they don't qualify.

"Smaller teams like these don’t have a particular style of play and it can be very difficult to play against them."

Number One

Speaking about Egypt's goalkeeping options, the former Ghazl Mahalla star stressed that Essam Al-Hadari is currently the country's undisputed number one.

"There is a very big gap between Al-Hadari and all the other keepers in Egypt," the former Egypt under 21 coach said.

"Abdul-Wahed Al-Sayed is a very good guardian but successive injuries over the years have affected his performances.

"But in general, there is a lack of goalkeeping talents throughout Egypt."

In his interview with FilGoal.com, Gharib tackled many issues including the Egyptian national team selection, as well as his personal coaching ambitions.

Follow us later to read Gharib's full interview