Stuttering Zamalek will be eager to return to winning ways and give new coach Ehab Galal his first victory as they face Dakhleya in the Egyptian Premier League on Thursday. Zamalek virtually lost hopes of competing for the league title after slipping to the fifth spot in the table, a massive 13 points behind leaders and Cairo rivals Ahly, who have a match in hand. They also face an uphill climb to finish as runners-up and qualify for the African Champions League. Zamalek are desperate to snap a three-match winless run that saw them lose to El-Geish and Ahly and settle for a bore 0-0 draw with El-Entag El-Harby on Sunday. Galal, a promising coach who led unfancied Maqassa to a stunning second-place finish in the league last season, was in charge of Zamalek in the 3-0 loss to Ahly and the stalemate against El-Entag. “I am used to applying specific tactics in every club I manage. Zamalek players are doing their best but they just need time to adapt to my strategy,” Galal told reporters after the draw with El-Entag. “Players were able to create real opportunities during the game but rushing the finishing touch resulted in wasting scoring chances.” Zamalek moved to strengthen their squad during the January transfer window by signing Maqassa's duo Nana Poku and Emad Fathi. Ghanaian striker Poku will not be available against Dakhleya though, but midfielder Fathi was included in Zamalek's squad for the game. Dakhleya lie 11th in the league table with 22 points from 18 matches. They lost 3-0 to Zamalek in their previous league meeting in September. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
