CAIRO - Al-Ahly assistant coach Mohamed Youssef says that they're not underestimating Thursday's clash against Misr Elmaqasah (MCSD), adding the Red Devils have prepared well for this match in the ninth week of the Egyptian Premier League. "Elmaqasah are a well-organised team with many talented players and good coaches, supervised by Tareq Yehia," said Youssef, pointing out that his side are all set for this tough fixture at Cairo International Stadium. According to soccer experts, the first six weeks of the Premier League witnessed the sacking of four coaches, while Yehia of MCSD is one of those Egyptian coaches who have been doing well since the season started. Youssef stresses that the Red Devils coaching staff will watch the video of Elmaqasah's last game against Enppi to identify their strengths and weaknesses. “We are well prepared," adds Youssef, although he's well aware that Yehia will try and make things difficult for them. Ahly were due to face Ismaili in the seventh week of the Egyptian Premier League behind closed doors at Cairo International Stadium, but for security reasons the game has been postponed to December 26, by order of the Ministry of the Interior. The team haven't played an official match since the stoppage of the League. The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) has ordered the Red Devils to play the fixture behind closed doors, because their fans repeatedly let off fireworks during their game in the fourth week of the season against Al-Ittihad. The Premier League was on hold due as the Egyptian Olympic team were playing in Morocco in the African Under-23 Championship, in which they put on well, securing third place and a berth in the 2012 London Olympics, for the first time since 1992. "The friendlies we played during the stoppage of the League have been of great benefit for us, as they allowed us to field some players who were just recovering from injury," he explains. "The coaching staff made full use of the friendlies to prepare the injured players to make a strong return," comments Youssef, adding that the friendlies have allowed them to learn from their mistakes, before the League resumes. The Red Devils won their last friendly against Toukh team last week 3-0, thanks to goals from midfielder Abdullah el-Said, and strikers el-Sayyed Hamdi and Mohamed Fadl. Elmaqasah defeated Enppi 2-1 in the seventh week of the Premier League thanks to goals from Sameh el-Aidorousi and Fouad Salama, while Enppi's strike came from Rami Sabri. The victory has lifted Elmaqasah to second place with 14 points. "A win on Thursday would give the team a good boost after the long League stoppage," continues Youssef, pointing out that the medical staff are trying hard to ensure Brazilian striker Fabio Junior and Senegalese striker Dominique Da Silva are ready for the game, while striker Emad Mete'ab will be back from honeymoon. Ahly are now in the third place in the Premier League with 14 points from six games. Sayyed Abdel-Hafez, Al-Ahly's football director, says that the Red Devils are ready for Misr Elmaqasah. "They are a respectable team with many talented young stars with a lot of confidence in themselves, and we respect them,” says the director. Meanwhile, he denies the rumours about new signings in January. “Any new players, especially strikers, will have to be superstars,” Abdel-Hafez explains, admitting that there are still one or two places left which could be filled by new signings. "The technical coach has yet to come up with any names. We will only sign top players and if their prices aren't too top-heavy. Anyway, let's not think about this till we've paid they players the money we owe them,” adds Abdel-Hafez, stressing that all the late wages will be paid by January. According to some reports, the EFA is considering having two transfer windows this winter, as the first round of matches will end in late February. Yehia is delighted that his side beat Enppi last week, adding that they intend to play even better in future, starting with the Ahly clash on Thursday. "We played a good game against strong opponents and Egypt Cup holders," Yehia said after the Enppi match. The ex-Zamalek player added that his side hope to finish in the top four teams this season. "Ahly are a big team with many talented stars, but my players are ready to prove themselves," he added.
