ALEXANDRIA: Ittihad coach Taha Basri will rely on the same squad that beat Egyptian champions Al Ahly when his side take on Al-Gaish in the Egyptian League on Monday. The Alexandria-based club handed Ahly their first defeat of the season with a 2-0 victory on Thursday, thanks Abdel-Hamid Hassan. Ittihad will be without Youssef Hamdi, Mohamed Sharaf and Sameh Youssef when they face Al-Gaish. The trio also missed the Ahly game for unannounced reasons. Reports claim that Basri opted to exclude them after their series of disappointing displays. A win for Ittihad over the military club will further enhance their chance of staying in the top flight. Ittihad, who were recently considered as one of the firm favorites to be relegated, lie 12th in the league table with 26 points, just one ahead of the relegation zone. They haven t been relegated to the second division since the 1961/1962 season. On the other hand, Al-Gaish will be looking to regain their position as runners-up. Zamalek are second with 47 points. Al-Gaish have the same amount but lie third due to their inferior goal difference. Both clubs battle to finish second in order to qualify to the CAF Champions League.
