CAIRO - The fifth week of the Egyptian Premier League kicks off on Wednesday with five fixtures, to be followed by another four matches on Thursday. Al-Ahly, Ismaili, Police Union, Military Production and Wadi Degla will be playing against el-Dakhlia, Enppi, el-Masry, Talefounat Beni Sueif and Gouna respectively. According to sources at Al-Ahly, coach Manuel José da Silva is contemplating using the 4-4-2 formation to increase the pressure on the Dakhlia defence. The Portuguese coach is thinking of starting the game without a 'libero' player, as their opponents will only be playing one striker. Al-Ahly defender Sherif Abdel-Fadil will be replacing defender Mohamed Nagiub who is injured. The Red Devils' team doctor Ehab Ali said that Abdel-Fadil is ready for the Dakhlia match after recovering from a knee injury. "He's had a medical and is all set." Al-Ahly will miss the services of Naguib for up to five weeks, after he was injured at Ittihad of Alexandria last week. Al-Ahly stunned Ittihad 2-0 in the fourth week of the League, thanks to goals from newly signed player Abdullah Al-Said and Emad Mete'b. The Red Devils now top the league with eight points from four games. “Midfielder Mohamed Shawqi will be ready for the game," stressed Dr Ali. Al-Ahly's football director Sayyed Abdel-Hafez praised the players for the way they played in Alexandria, promising that they can only get better. "The team could have played better, but they're improving with every game," said Abdel-Hafez, pointing out that it's up to José to decide whether to play the 4-4-2 or 3-5-2 formation, depending on their opponents. "We used the 4-4-2 formation against el-Hodoud, but this doesn't mean that we will use the same formation in our forthcoming matches. We then used the 3-5-2 formation against Ittihad and collected three points,” said José. “We have been trying different tactics and formations with the players. I'm trying to give every player a chance and then I'll decide," he added, stressing that he was satisfied with the performance of the new signings, especially Abdullah el-Said and Mohamed Naguib. "José has urged the players to concentrate and to be calm, in order to win," sources at Al-Ahly camp said, stressing that the Portuguese coach wants the players to enjoy playing. "He has been using special tactics with strikers Mohamed Naggi 'Geddo', Dominique Da Silva and Brazilian Fabio Junior in training," the sources explained Monday. Meanwhile, Zamalek's general coach said that his side are ready for Thursday's tricky game against Smouha in Alexandria. “We have prepared well," Ismail Youssef stressed after Monday's training session, explaining that Shawqi Gharib, Smouha new coach, will make things more difficult. "There are some doubtfuls, such as injured strikers Ahmed Hossam 'Mido' and Hussein Hamdi, but we have alternatives ready to step into the breach," the coach explained, pointing out that 'Mido' may be included, depending on a late medical. According to media reports, the coaching staff, headed by Hassan Shehata, refuse to change the team's formation from 4-4-2 to 3-5-2. Shehata was delighted by his team's 3-1 win over Military Production last week, promising that the White Knights will correct their mistakes and get even better. "If the players had been a little less reckless and rash, they would have scored more goals," he explained. Zamalek left-winger Mohamed Abdel-Shafei said that every League match is difficult. The international defender agreed with Youssef that Smouha's signing of coach Gharib will only make things more difficult. Gharib, meanwhile, said that his side would take their clash against Zamalek in their stride. "If we win, we'll have former coach Mimi Abdel-Razeq to thank; I'll be responsible for the results after that," he added. Gharib was the Egypt's former general coach under Hassan Shehata, whom he describes as being like a big brother. "But now we're working for two different teams, each hoping to beat the other," Gharib told reporters. Playing behind closed doors The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) has decided that the country giant clubs will play their next home matches behind closed doors. "Al-Ahly and Zamalek clubs have been ordered to play their next home matches behind closed doors," an EFA statement says. This sanction has been imposed on Egypt's two top teams because their fans repeatedly set off fireworks during their games in the fourth week of the Premier League. This means that both the Red Devils and the White Knights will face Ismaili in the seventh week of the League and el-Masry in the eighth week without their supporters. Al-Ahly's fans used fireworks during their game against el-Ittihad, while Zamalek's fans used fireworks in the clash against Military Production. Al-Ahly's football director Sayyed Abdel-Hafez expressed his sadness at the EFA's decision, explaining that this is not the right way to stop fans from using fireworks. "The coaching staff are unhappy to play without the fans, especially against a team like Ismaili," he told reporters. "This will affect the performance of the players and also hit the club's finances.” Abdel-Hafiz explained that "the fans will not be happy either at having to miss matches". "The best solution is to become closer to these young fans [Ultras], who caused the trouble and to make them behave more responsibly,” said the club's marketing director Adli el-Qeai. EFA Chairman Samir Zaher said that the problem of fireworks had become very serious, especially at this critical time for the country, stressing that all the clubs need to work together to find a solution. "I fear that we might end up with every League match being played without fans," added Zaher, explaining that there will be a meeting Tuesday to be attended by the Minister of Interior, Minster of Information and the clubs' presidents to try and find a solution. The Egyptian Premier League's 5th week fixtures: Wednesday November 2: 4:45pm Wadi Degla v Gouna 4:45pm Ismaili v Enppi 4:45pm Military Production v Talefounat Beni-Sueif 4:45pm Police Union v el-Masry 7:15pm Al-Ahly v el-Dakhlia Thursday November 3: 4:45pm El-Mahalla v Petrojet 4:45pm Misr Elmaqasah (MCSD) v el-Ittihad 4:45pm Smouha v Zamalek 7:15pm El-Geish v Haras el-Hedoud
