Zamalek's beleaguered coach Augusto Inacio has one last chance to save his job as the team face a tricky and decisive African Champions League clash that they must win to have any chance of advancing to the quarters. The White Knights host Libya's Ahli Tripoli in Alexandria on Sunday with a last-eight berth at stake, having suffered from an inconsistency that had blighted their campaign and put Inacio under constant pressure. The Portuguese coach was almost sacked when Zamalek slumped to a stunning 3-1 defeat away to Zimbabwe's Caps United last week but was eventually granted a reprieve by the club's outspoken chairman Mortada Mansour. But he is aware he can't afford any more slip-ups as last years' runners-up Zamalek have no choice but to claim all three points to stand a chance of progressing. They are at the bottom of B with five points, two behind Caps United and three adrift of joint leaders USM Alger and Ahli Tripoli. Should Zamalek overcome Ahli Tripoli and Caps United fail to beat USM in Algeria, they will advance virtue of a better head-to-head record than the Libyans, whom they held to a 0-0 draw in Tunisia. Despite the criticism directed at Inacio, Zamalek have notably improved on the domestic front, racking up six straight victories in the Egyptian Premier League. "We've won eight matches recently, including six in a row," Inacio told a news conference previewing the Ahli Tripoli clash on Friday. "We must beat Ahli, we have no alternatives. We are much better at home than on the road and we are fully focused on bagging the three points. Otherwise, it will be a big disappointment." Zamalek will have to do without key central midfielder Tarek Hamed due to automatic suspension. They can still field influential winger Mostafa Fathi and deep-lying forward Stanley Ohawuchi in the anticipated game, although both men have already finalized agreements to leave Zamalek in the summer. Both are going to Saudi Arabia, with Fathi penning a season-long loan deal with Al-Taawoun and Stanley moving to Al-Qadisiyah after ending a loan spell with Zamalek. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
