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Preview: Ahly, Zamalek eye league title as they clash in final round opener Ahly, Zamalek face off in a mouth-watering league encounter at 8:30pm Cairo time
In an encounter that may largely decide the 2013-14 Egyptian Premier League champions, Cairo rivals Ahly and Zamalek face off in the opening match of the final league round at Cairo Stadium on Saturday. After managing to make it through their respective league groups, Group A and B winners Ahly and Zamalek are also joined by runners-up Smouha and Petrojet in the final mini-league phase. The Cairo top duo enter the game on the back of first-round Egypt Cup wins, with Ahly overcoming minnows Minya 4-3 and Zamalek securing another narrow 2-1 victory over lowly Ghazl El-Mahalla, to advance to the competition's last-16. Ahly, however, failed to convince against their recently-relegated opponents, who managed to capitalize on the Cairo giants' midfield frailties and porous defense to score three goals. But there was still a silver lining to find in a youthful Ahly side, with in-form striker Amr Gamal, who bagged eight league goals this season, continuing his commendable displays and notching two goals – including the all-important winner. Zamalek, on the other side, looked to be cruising to an easy victory after taking a two-goal cushion against Mahalla, who set up a nervy ending to the game after scoring a late goal that proved no more than a consolation. Despite qualifying for the final league round as group winners, Zamalek had endured a daunting task to make it past their group, having had to wait for the final minutes of their last game against Ittihad El-Shorta, who almost advanced at the expense of the Whites. Mido's men needed a late header from defender Mahmoud Fathallah and another stoppage-time goal from up-and-coming forward Mostafa Fathy to triumph 4-3 against their opponents, whom they had no option but to defeat. Unlike their rivals, Ahly – who also bore the brunt of some embarrassing defeats during their league campaign – had guaranteed qualification with few matches to spare. The mini-league phase will be a one-leg round robin tournament, with the six decisive matches all taking place behind closed doors as the leader will be declared league champion. Previous meetings Ahly and Zamalek have met 107 times in the league, with the Reds securing 37 wins and their rivals claiming 25 victories since the competition's inaugural season in 1948. They clashed nine times in African tournaments, which saw Zamalek win only once in the Super Cup – a 1-0 victory back in 1994 in Johannesburg. The Cairo giants' last four meetings came on the continental stage, where Ahly won twice in the Champions League last-eight to go on and book a semi-final berth at the expense of their arch-foes. Their last encounter saw Ahly hand Zamalek a 4-2 defeat, a rout the 11-time-league champions will be looking to avenge this time around. On domestic front, Zamalek have only won once since their triumphant 2004 league season - their last league title – claiming a 2-0 victory in 2007 against a fringe Ahly side. Since Zamalek's 2-1 win in the second half of the 2003-04 league season, Ahly have managed an overall 16 victories in all competitions over their perennial rivals. Team news: Youthful Ahly side Ahly will have to do without Egypt striker Emad Meteb who has yet to regain full fitness, as well as injured defender Ramy Rabia, who is nursing a pelvic problem. They will also miss Egypt full-back Sayed Moawad who has become the latest player to announce his retirement from professional football after defence stalwart Wael Gomaa. Midfielder Abdallah El-Saied, who is the top-scorer in the league, and Egypt forward Mohamed 'Gedo' Nagy, are already out with long-term injuries. As a result of such a long injury list, Ahly interim boss Fathy Mabrouk has been forced to name a host of youngsters in his squad, including Amr Ashraf, El-Sayed Shabrawy, Karim 'Bambo' and Ramadan Sobhy – who could well make their first-team appearance against Zamalek. Zamalek, meanwhile, have been boosted by the news that regular left-back Mohamed Abdel-Shafy and influential midfielder Moemen Zakareya will be available after shaking off respective injuries. Manager Mido, however, will be without injured defence duo Yasser Ibrahim and Ahmed Samir Farag as right-back Ahmed Samir and forward Arafa El-Sayed were shunned by the 31-year-old manager. (For more sports news and updates,followAhramOnline Sportson Twitter at@AO_Sportsand on Facebook atAhramOnlineSports.) http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/104944.aspx
