New coach Ante Cacic will take charge of Pyramids FC for the first time when they meet fellow Egyptian side Masry in the African Confederation Cup on Sunday. The 66-year-old, who led Croatia to the knockout stages of Euro 2016, was named as Pyramids' new boss on Friday, succeeding Sebastien Desabre after the Frenchman was sacked following a string of poor results in the Egyptian Premier League. Cacic's job in the Confederation Cup, Africa's secondary club competition, should be a straightforward one. Pyramids and Masry have both made impressive starts, collecting maximum six points from their opening two matches. The two sides are firm favourites to advance to the knockout stage, given that their Group A challengers, Nigeria's Enugu Rangers and Mauritania's FC Nouadhibou, have no points. "Cacic's arrival will motivate the players to excel and showcase their abilities to be able to hold down a regular place," Pyramids veteran playmaker Abdallah El-Said told the pre-match news conference. Pyramids and Masry have made disappointing starts to their league campaigns, but the former have fared slightly better. Pyramids lie fifth with 16 points from 10 games while Masry are 10th on 11 points from 9 matches. Their most recent league meeting ended in a 1-1 draw earlier this month. "We have just met in the league so we know each other very well," said Masry's coach Ihab Galal. "We are focused on getting a win to move clear on top and edge a step closer to a place in the knockouts." Masry reached the semi-finals of the Confederation Cup twice while Pyramids are making their maiden appearance in an African competition. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
