Zamalek will be eyeing their fourth successive domestic win when they host Maqassa at Cairo Stadium in the Egyptian Premier League Monday. In a shaky start this season, the Whites lost once and were held to a draw in three matches, but they quickly restored the balance, winning the last three games against Wadi Degla, Petrojet and finally Nasr, 10 days ago. After nine matches, Zamalek lie third in the Egyptian league table with 18 points, five behind leaders Ismaily who played one match more. Maqassa are at 13th place with nine points from nine matches. Serbian manager Nibojsa Jovovic will be hoping to extend his winning streak, especially as Zamalek will be looking for more stability after recent elections that saw club president Mortada Mansour re-elected for a second term. Also Zamalek will be seeking revenge from Maqassa for bad memories from last season's two matches against the Fayoum-based team. In the first game, last March, Zamalek's league title hopes were severely dented with a 1-0 defeat at Maqassa in a match that had seen referee Gehad Gerisha deny Zamalek a legitimate second-half penalty when Maqassa's Ahmed Sami blatantly extended his arm inside the area to keep the ball away. Zamalek threatened to withdraw from the Egyptian League unless the match was replayed, a demand that wasn't fulfilled. Just one month later, the other clash between Zamalek and Maqassa was abandoned after the Cairo giants carried out their threat and didn't show up at the stadium in protest at the match date that was set by the Egyptian Football Association. For their part, Maqassa won't be an easy opponent for the Whites despite their recent revival. Maqassa lost four successive matches at the season's start before drawing two times and winning a double in their last four matches. Zamalek will have no major absentees in Monday's game except reserve keeper Mahmoud Gennesh who is still recovering from an arm injury. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
