Ahly and Zamalek will play the African Champions League final on Friday without three players each after they returned positive coronavirus results on Wednesday. Ahly will have to do without influential Malian midfielder Aliou Dieng and veteran winger Walid Soliman. Out-of-favor midfielder Saleh Gomaa has also contracted COVID-19 but he was unlikely to play anyway. Dieng is the latest Ahly player to be infected after Soliman and Gomaa had tested positive earlier this week. Winger Mahmoud Kahraba, who also fell ill to the disease, has fully recovered though and should be fit to play after returning a negative result. On the other hand, Zamalek will miss three regular starters: Left-back Abdallah Gomaa, attacking midfielder Youssef 'Obama' Ibrahim and central defender Mahmoud El-Wensh. Zamalek duo Obama and Gomaa are also fresh cases at the White Knights, as the club announced on Monday that Mahmoud Hamdi has contracted the virus. The absence of Gomaa in particular comes as a blow for Zamalek coach Jaime Pacheco, given that the 24-year-old is the only established left back at his disposal as the veteran Mohamed Abdel-Shafi has not yet recovered from an injury that has kept him out of action since August. Ahly are bidding for their ninth Champions League trophy while Zamalek are eyeing a sixth title and their first since 2002. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
