Brimming with confidence after their new signings propelled them to an entertaining 3-0 victory over Maqassa, Ahly face Wadi Degla on Monday with the aim of closing the gap on Egyptian Premier League leaders Zamalek. Ahly turned on style to crush Maqassa in their previous league match on Thursday, with new recruits Ramadan Sobhi, who joined on loan from Huddersfield Town, and winger Hussein El-Shahat shining. The Red Devils look to have finally found the spark they needed after a perceived lack of depth in their squad cost them dear in the past few months as they lost ground in the league race and lost the African Champions League final to Tunisia's Esperance. The win over Maqassa moved Ahly up to third and Zamalek's thrilling 3-3 draw with Pyramids FC revived their hopes of challenging for a fourth consecutive league crown. They have 30 points from 15 games, 12 behind arch rivals Zamalek who played two matches more. "The players are on the right track and I am working to balance the squad as you can find five players play in the same position while in other positions you only find one or two," Ahly's Uruguayan coach Martin Lasarte said after the Maqassa match. Ahly should find no difficulty overcoming a Wadi Degla side that despite their attractive brand of football under Greek manager Takis Gonias languish third from bottom in the 18-team table. The Cairo giants welcome back forward Salah Mohsen after a lengthy injury layoff but midfielder Hamdi Fathi, who made a convincing debut against Maqassa, misses out after picking up an injury. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
