Ahly, Zamalek meet in decisive Cairo derby

Wednesday's derby at Cairo Stadium will likely determine the outcome of this year's Premier League title as Ahly and Zamalek put it all on the line

Cairo's bitter rivals Ahly and Zamalek face off in a highly-charged and decisive derby which will determine whether the Egyptian Premier League race will go down to the wire or be settled with three matches remaining.
Leaders Ahly approach the game on the back of a fine run under Portuguese coach Manuel Jose, who masterminded a remarkable comeback that saw them bridge a six-point gap with Zamalek and go five points clear at the top before Wednesday's anticipated encounter.
Jose, who is on his third run with the Red Devils, boasts a superb record in Cairo derbies, having led his team to 14 wins in 20 matches, including three draws and as many defeats.
Should Ahly beat Zamalek, they will need one more point from the remaining three matches to wrap up a seventh consecutive title and their 36th overall at the expense of a success-starved Zamalek side, who have not won the premier domestic competition since 2004.
Zamalek, whose league hopes faded after a surprise 2-0 loss at Masry in their previous match, suffered a dip in form after a lack of squad depth took its toll on them as coach Hossam Hassan struggled to make up for the absence of the likes of Amr Zaki and Ahmed Hossam ‘Mido', who rejoined his boyhood club in January but was ineligible to play due to an administrative error.
The White Knights will be eager to end their derby jinx, having last beaten Ahly in 2007, in order to keep alive their hopes of clinching this year's title. They've been in such a dramatic scenario before and hope to summon up similar resolve.
In 2003, Zamalek, who were five points behind Ahly when they met in the Cairo derby, beat their traditional foes before eventually going on to snatch the title on the last day of the season.
“I call on our loyal fans to flood Cairo Stadium on Wednesday and display their utmost support. The fans, board of directors, technical staff and the players need to be united at such a crucial stage of the season,” Zamalek's interim chairman Galal Ibrahim said on the club's official website.
“We still have a chance to win the title. People who say that we lost any hopes are just trying to affect our morale before that important game.”
Zamalek have drawn with Ahly three times since Hassan took over club's managerial role in late 2009.
Nevertheless, Zamalek will have to do without regular central midfielder Hassan Mostafa, who dislocated his shoulder during the loss against Masry in what became a tense affair in Port Said. Additionally, diminutive attacking midfielder Mohamed Ibrahim will also miss out after being handed a four-match ban for showing the middle finger to Masry's supporters.
Striker Zaki is unlikely to make Zamalek's squad despite asserting that he is doing his best to recover from a niggling injury amid reports suggesting that he was involved in a rift with Hassan.
“I'm disgusted by the media claims that there is a dispute between me and the coach, this is absolutely nonsense,” the burly frontman, nicknamed The Bulldozer, stated.
“I underwent some medical scans to determine whether I can participate in the derby or not, I hope to play. We have no choice but to win to revive our hopes of winning the league title.”
Ahly, who appeared formidable lately, will miss long-term absentees Mohamed Abou-Treika and Mohamed Shawky. However, their absence is unlikely to worry Jose, who has an abundance of midfield talents at his disposal including Hossam Ghaly, Ahmed Hassan and Amir Sayoud.