CAIRO - The eighth week of the 2011-2012 Egypt Premier League is kicking off Saturday with four clashes, followed Sunday by another five. El-Gouna, Al-Ittihad of Alexandria, Petrojet, El-Dakhlia and El-Masry are all ready for their clashes against Military Production, El-Geish, Smouha and El-Mahalla Saturday. El-Talefounat, Enppi, Haras el-Hodoud, Ismaili and Zamalek are ready for their matches against Arab Contractors, Wadi Degla, Police Union, Misr Elmaqasah (MCSD) and El-Masry Sunday. The highest-flying is the Zamalek-Masry clash. Zamalek's assistant coach Ismail Youssef said that his side was ready for Sunday's tricky game against El-Masry at Cairo International Stadium. “We are well-prepared," Youssef stressed after Friday's training session, explaining that Talaat Youssef, El-Masry coach, would make things difficult. Youssef was delighted by his team's 3-1 win over Arab Contractors last week, promising that the White Knights would get even better in the coming period. "If the players had been a little less reckless and rash, they would have scored more goals," Youssef explained, pointing out that the team presented a good show during the first 30 minutes of the game, followed by a drop in their performance. "This win will give the team a boost," he explained. Zamalek defeated Arab Contractor in the seventh week of the Premier League thanks to Ahmed Hassan's goals, who scored twice, while right winger Ahmed Samir scored the third goal to assure victory. Youssef acknowledged that Zamalek fans had the right to express their emotions about all players. During the Arab Contractor game there was banner on the Zamalek stands: "We decided to dismiss Amr Zaki and Hazem Imam from Zamalek." Amr Zaki filed a complaint about unpaid wages dating back to the past season, while Hazem Imam left the team and moved to Saudi Arabia's Al-Faisali and also filed a complaint. "The fans are always sincere in their emotions and I fully support them," Youssef said. The White Knights reached fifth place with 13 points and have still one game against Wadi Degla waiting for them. Zamalek player Ahmed Hassan expressed his satisfaction about the 3-1 victory over Arab Contractors, urging his teammates to keep up the good work until the end of the League. "The players' persistence, determination and high spirit were the main reason for winning in the last minute," Hassan said after the game. Zamalek coach Hassan Shehata said that the White Knights made the most of the League stoppage by playing a lot of friendlies that witnessed the return of some injured players like defender Hany Said. However, the team will be without key players such as Amr Zaki, Hazem Imam and Mohamed Abdel-Shafei in the coming period. Shehata denied reports that his side was trying to sign on ex-goalkeeper Essam el-Hadari during the winter transfer period. "We're not at all thinking about Hadari, since we already have three good goalkeepers," the ex-Egypt coach said, adding that the club was going through a financial crisis anyway and wouldn't be able to afford the likes of Hadari. Shehata threatened the club board with leaving if the players did not receive their wages. The veteran coach finished by saying: "The door is open for anyone who does not want to play for Zamalek, and the team will not stand in any player's way." Misr Elmaqasah (MCSD) succeeded in defeating Enppi 2-1 thanks to goals by Sameh el-Aidorousi and Fouad Salama, while Enppi's goal came from Rami Sabri. The victory led Elmaqasah to second place with 14 points, while Enppi stayed on 15th place with four points. Elsewhere, Haras el-Hodoud claimed victory over Smouha 2-1 and temporarily topped the table, since Al-Ahly's game against Ismaili was postponed for security reasons. The win momentarily pushed El-Hedoud to first place with 16 points, while Smouha went to the bottom of the league with two points. Police Union defeated El-Talefounat 2-0 to reach fourth place with 14 points, while El-Talefounat stayed on tenth place with nine points. Petrojet held Military Production for a goalless draw, and Al-Ittihad of Alexandria and El- Mahalla also played for another goalless draw. El-Gouna failed to win and drew 1-1 with El-Geish. El-Gouna moved to eighth place with nine points, El-Geish was on 11th place with seven points. Wadi Degla held El-Dakhlia to a 0-0 draw.
The Egyptian Premier League 8th week fixtures: Saturday December 17: 3:00pm Gouna v Military Production 5:45pm Al-Ittihad v El-Geish 5:45pm Petrojet v Smouha 8:15pm El-Dakhlia v El-Mahalla Sunday, December 18: 3:00pm El-Talefounat v Arab Contractors 5:45pm Enppi v Wadi Degla 5:45pm El-Hodoud v Police Union 5:45pm Ismaili v MCSD 8:15pm Zamalek v El-Masry
