Full time: Zamalek 0-2 Ahly The referee blows his final whistle, Ahly extend their lead over Zamalek with a thoroughly deserved 2-0 win. 90+4 Zamalek striker Bassem Morsi receives a yellow card. 90 Ajayi makes an immediate impact. Fathi crosses from the left and the Nigerian rises unmarked to head home and ensure Ahly's win. 90 GOAAAAAAAAAL FOR AHLY!!!! 87 Ahly make their final substitution. Nigerian forward Junior Ajayi replaces striker Marwan Mohsen. 86 Zamalek have the better possession. Will be they able to equalise in the dying minutes? 83 Zamalek make another substitution. Winger Mahmoud Shikabala, a fan favourite, replaces Ayman Hefni. 80 With ten minutes remaining, both sides ease off in the final stages. 77 Ahly make their second substitution. Zakareya, scorer of the only goal, is replaced with another winger in Karim Walid. 74 Ahly are sitting back to soak up pressure, and their counter attacks could give them a chance to end the match as a contest. 72 A piledriver by Zamalek midfielder Tarek Hamed is palmed away by Sherif Ekramy. 70 Zamalek pile on pressure as Ahly take their gas off the pedal. 67 A chance for Zamalek! Ayman Hefni intercepts a loose ball and feeds the overlapping Shawki El-Saied whose shot from a tight angle goes wide. 65 Ahly make their first substitution. Skipper and veteran midfielder Hossam Ghaly replaces winger Walid Soliman. 62 The first chance for Zamalek after a goal-mouth scramble! a bicycle kick by Hefni is cleared just in front of the goal-line by a defender. 60 Ahly missed a chance to kill off the game in the early stages of the second half but Zamalek are still poor. 57 Ahly's breakaways are very dangerous and Zakareya's attempt from a tight angle is thwarted by El-Shennawi, whose saves keep Zamalek in the game. 56 Zamalek make a double substitution. Shawki El-Said replaces disappointing right-back Hosni Fathi and winger Ahmed Refaat replaces defensive midfielder Ibrahim Salah. 54 Another chance for Ahly! Marwan Mohsen misses a sitter after heading wide with the goal at his mercy after a cross from Moemen Zakareya. 53 A long-range shot from Ahly's defensive midfielder Fathi is blocked by a superb one-handed save from goalkeeper El-Shennawi. 50 Zamalek striker Morsi is still isolated upfront. Coach Mohamed Helmi is expected to introduce winger Mahmoud Shikabala shortly. 48 Zamalek will have to up their tempo and take a more adventurous approach if they are to have a chance of leveling the score. The second half is underway The referee blows his halftime whistle Zamalek 0-1 Ahly 45+1 The referee adds three minutes of injury time. 45 Bassem Morsi is found on the left side of the area in a rare foray forward for Zamalek but his wayward shot misses the target. 42 Ahly playmaker Abdallah El-Said is booked for a reckless challenge on Zamalek's central defender Mahmoud Hamdi. 39 Zamalek's Ayman Hefni has a penalty claim waved away by the referee after what seemed minimal contact with Saad Samir. 36 A free kick for Zamalek on the right but once again they fail to take advantage, with another tame cross from Yussuf cleared by the defence. 32 Zamalek's Nigerian midfielder Maaruf Yussuf receives a yellow card for a foul on Hossam Ashour. 32 Zamalek are trying to gain some control after a period of Ahly dominance. 27 Hussein El-Sayed is wreaking havoc down the left. Zamalek's Hosni Fathi is struggling to keep him at bay. 25 Another chance for Ahly!! Zakareya is found unmarked at the far post but heads wide with the goal at his mercy. 23 Ahly convert the first real chance of the game, with the clinical Zakareya once again tormenting the defence of his former team Zamalek. 22 Playmaker releases Hussein El-Sayed and the left back runs to the byline and sends in a low cross, which finds Moemen Zakareya who gets ahead of Mohamed Nassef to slot home with aplomb. 22 GOAAAAAAAAAL FOR AHLY!!!! 19 No threats so far, with too many mis-placed passes on both ends. 15 The back-lines of both sides still have the upper hand after quarter of an hour. 13 An Ahly free-kick is floated to the far post, where central defender Naguib attempts to head it across the box but his effort is deflected off Mahmoud Hamdi and into safety. 12 Zamalek's Tarek Hamed is tasked with stifling Ahly's build-up attempts. 10 Ahly's Walid Soliman heads a right-wing cross from Ahmed Fathi over the bar. 8 A low Zamalek cross is cleared by the Ahly defence. Zamalek are awarded the first corner of the game. 6 At the other end, Ahly launch a counter attack but Moemen Zakareya's diagonal cross goes out for a goal kick. 6 Mohamed Nassef's cross from the resulting free kick is easily collected by Ahly keeper Sherif Ekramy. 6 Hefni is awarded a free kick on the right after being fouled by Ahmed Fathi. 3 It seems Ahly's influential midfielder Ahmed Fathi was hit in the nose by Ayman Hefni's flailing arm. He is receiving treatment on the pitch. 1 Ahly's right-back Mohamed Hani floats the game's first cross but Zamalek's defence easily clears the ball. The match is underway Starting line-ups: Zamalek: Ahmed El-Shennawi, Hosni Fathi, Mahmoud Hamdi, Ali Gabr, Mohamed Nassef, Maarouf Yussuf, Ibrahim Salah, Tarek Hamed, Ayman Hefni, Mohamed Ibrahim, Bassem Morsi Ahly: Sherif Ekramy, Mohamed Hani, Mohamed Naguib, Saad Samir, Hussein El-Sayed, Hossam Ashour, Ahmed Fathi, Abdallah El-Said, Moemen Zakareya, Walid Soliman, Marwan Mohsen 18:50 In a last-minute change, Stanley is replaced with Mohamed Ibrahim in Zamalek's starting line-up. The Nigerian was ruled out after failing to completely recover from injury. 18:45 Fifteen minutes remaining before kick-off. Egyptian fans are glued to their seats! 18:30 No susprises in Ahly's starting XI. They play with a lone frontman in Marwan Mohsen, supported by three attacking midfielders in Abdallah El-Said, Moemen Zakareya and Walid Soliman. 18:00 Zamalek's starting XI includes lone striker Bassem Morsi and Nigerian deep-lying forward Stanley Ohawuchi. They are both declared fit. 17:45 The starting line-ups are expected to be announced shortly. Zamalek fans are still anxious over the fitness of their key players. 17:00 Despite Zamalek's assertions over the availability of key duo Bassem Morsi and Ayman Hefni ahead of the game, reports are saying they might not be included in the starting line-up. Nigerian forward Stanley Ohawuchi is also doubtful. 16:30 Striker Bassem Morsi, who seems to have finally captured his form of late, has been cleared to take part against Ahly after missing the Sharqeya win through injury, with dazzling playmaker Hefni also ready to play after missing last week's league game.
16:00 But Helmi will lament the absence of right-back Osama Ibrahim due to automatic suspension, after the defender's performance has notably improved of late as he opened the scoring in the 2-0 win over Sharqeya with an audacious run into the box.
15:30 The return of fit-again playmaker Mohamed Ibrahim in particular has come as a boost for Zamalek, with the flamboyant midfielder registering two assists in four league games since making his comeback from injury.
15:00 Despite spilling two vital points away at minnows Aswan in Helmi's second game in charge, Zamalek's displays slightly improved in their past two games against El-Entag El-Harby and newcomers Sharqeya.
14:30 The decision to reinstate Helmi came following a run of unconvincing league displays under former boss Moemen Soliman and caretaker manager Mohamed Salah – who remains in his post as assistant coach.
14:00 Mohamed Helmi, who was appointed as Zamalek's manager for a second spell late in November, will be keen to beat Ahly this time around, after seeing a dominant display from his side against Ahly last season end with a goalless stalemate.
13:30 Despite finally being able to break their Ahly jinx, Zamalek's wins only came in the domestic cup, with the two league games between both finals ending in a 2-0 win for Ahly and a scoreless draw.
13:00 Their Egypt Cup feat was repeated again the following season, when another 3-1 final victory against Ahly secured Zamalek their second domestic cup in a row at the expense of their bitter foes.
12:30 The Whites had already managed to break their Ahly hoodoo with a 2-0 Egypt Cup final win under former manager Jesualdo Ferreira in 2015, having failed to beat their perennial rivals in 21 consecutive games in all competitions.
12:00 Zamalek will be looking for their first Egyptian league win over arch-rivals Ahly since May 2007 when both sides face off in a mouth-watering derby clash at Cairo's Petrosport Stadium on Thursday.
Stay tuned; the match is due to start at 19:00 CLT (+2 GMT) Venue: Petrosport Stadium Referee: Viktor Kassai (Hungary) League positions: Zamalek: 3rd Ahly: 1st (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports)
