Egypt’s league titleholders Al-Ahly Wednesday night meet runners-up Zamalek in Cairo in the last 16 of the Egyptian Cup with one of the country’s two top teams to be knocked out of the prestigious tournament. Al-Ahly's players celebrating after beating Nabarouh in the Egyptian Cup in Mansoura on Saturday.
Ahly would love to do the double this season; ten days ago they won their sixth successive Egyptian Premier League title; while Zamalek, who have booked a berth in the African Champions League next season, are equally determined to win the Egyptian Cup.
Wednesday’s game will be the third one between the two teams. The last two encounters both ended in a draw. Ahly have been preparing for the game with a training camp in 6th October City, where coach Hossam el-Badri says all the players, including Ahmed Fathi, are fighting fit.
He thinks the clash will be more exciting than their previous two clashes, both in the league, as only team can go through. “Beating Zamalek tomorrow [on Wednesday] would put us on track for the cup,” el-Badri said ahead of the match. "Our games against Zamalek are always very serious.
I've been watching video recordings of several of Zamalek’s games, so we can be ready for their tactics." El-Badri is beginning to win over Ahly fans after a slow start prompted them to recall the glory days of coach Manuel Jose, who left the club last summer.
A victory over Zamalek would further prove that el-Badri, who signed a one-year contract extension last week, was the ideal replacement for the Portuguese tactician. "I'm sure our fans will strongly support us against Zamalek.
We want to do our best and win more trophies for their sake," the 50-year-old coach added. Ahly, who eye a record 36th cup title, last did the double in 2007, after beating Zamalek 4-3 in a memorable Egyptian Cup final.
Cairo Stadium’s gates will open at 2pm and 64 security cameras will monitor spectators inside the stadium, according to officials there. About 61,200 tickets have been printed for the game.
Meanwhile, Zamalek’s coach Hossam Hassan has been urging his side to avoid the late mistakes they made in the two teams’ recent 3-3 draw in Cairo. He has been telling the players to concentrate and that they can go on to win the cup if they beat the Red Devils on Wednesday.
Enppi encounter Assiut Petroleum in Cairo on Wednesday in the same competition, while Petrojet meet Canal Mooring & Lights in Port Said in Wednesday’s other cup game.
