Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has been ruled out of the Thursday clash between the Pharaohs of Egypt and the Harambee Stars of Kenya.
In a statement on its Twitter handle written in Arabic, the Egyptian team said the marquee player had suffered an ankle injury, and would not feature in the Group G 2021 African Cup of Nations qualifier, set to be staged in Cairo.
The statement was accompanied by a picture of the star with a protective boot.
Salah featured for Liverpool against Manchester City over the weekend, and contributed one goal to the 3-1 Liverpool victory.
He has found the back of the net six times this season.
Salah was considered a major threat to the Stars. News of his absence from the Egyptian attack will come as a relief to football loving Kenyans.
The Kenyan side flew to Cairo on Monday for the clash.
Even without Salah, the Pharaohs are a pretty strong team having participated in the 2018 Russia World Cup and numerous AFCON tournaments.
Francis Kimanzi, the Stars coach, has said his players are keen not to suffer defeat in Cairo, and will give their best.