ZESCO coach ambitious ahead of full-squad Ahly clash

Injured Fadl and Ekramy will join Ahly's trip to Zambia while ZESCO's coach insists they can eliminate the African giants

Zambia's ZESCO United coach Fighton Simukonda is confident of his team's readiness for their anticipated game against Egypt's Ahly in the first leg of the African Champions League round of 16 next Saturday.
“I said before we did not fear Ahly, because that is true. We don't fear any team. Of course, we have respect for all our opponents. We know that games at this level are always tough and competitive but we're ready for them,” the Confederation of African Football (CAF) official website quoted Simukonda on Wednesday.
“We believe in our ability and we're driven by our desire to succeed because we have a good enough team to compete very well at this level.”
“Last round, we had good games against the Buffaloes, both in Ndola and Mbabane. But we have put those victories behind us now. Now our focus is on Ahly because they are the last ones standing in our way in our aim to get to the group stages,” he added.
The Zambian champions' preparations dealt a sudden blow as they conceded their first loss at home since 2009 after being defeated 1-0 against Nkwazi in the domestic league last week, but Simukonda is motivating his players to deliver a good result against the Red Devils.
“The loss to Nkhwazi in the league is behind us. In fact, it has challenged us to work even harder. Obviously, the game against Ahly is different and will be tougher, but we know that the stage we're at is crucial for us,” he explained.
“The players are focused and concentrating on the game. You can see their response in training and their physical conditioning is excellent. We will go out there to score as many goals as we can, as we need to get a good result at home so that we will have the upper hand in the return match. We shall beat Ahly and I'm very confident about that,” he added.
Simukonda urged Zambian fans to flood to the Trade Fair football arena in Ndola, as he sees their support crucial for beating the Egyptians.
“The support of the association and our fans and every Zambian football follower is important. Our message is for the fans to come in large numbers and cheer us from the first whistle to the end because this is a national assignment and it is our national flag that we carry,” the coach concluded.
In the other camp, Ahly's coach Manuel Jose Da Silva announced his 20-player squad for Zambia trip on Wednesday, including the injured trio Mohamed Fadl, Sherif Ekramy and Mohamed Shawky.
Goalkeeper Ekramy has just recovered from serious knee injury, while Fadl is suffering a calf strain. Midfielder Shawky picked up a groin injury during Wednesday's training session. The trio will be under daily observation by the club's doctor to examine their fitness before the game.
Ahly's squad:
Goalkeepers: Sherif Ekramy, Ahmed Adel Abdel-Moneam, Mahmoud Aboul-Seoud
Defenders: Wael Gomaa, Sherif Abdel-Fadil, Mohamed Samir, Hossam Ghaly, Sayed Moawad, Ahmad Al-Sayed
Midfielders: Mohamed Barakat, Ahmed Fathy, Moataz Eno, Mohamad Shawqy, Shehab Ahmed, Mohamed Abou-Treika, Hossam Ashour
Strikers: Mohmed “Gedo” Nagy, MohamedFadl, Ossama Hosny, Dominique Da Silva