CAIRO - The 14th week of the 2011-2012 Egyptian Premier League continues Saturday with four games, followed Sunday by another three. El-Dakhlia, Misr Elmaqasah (MCSD), Petrojet and Al-Ahly are ready to play against El-Masry, Military Production, Haras el-Hodoud and Smouha Saturday, while El-Gouna, Al-Ittihad of Alexandria and Wadi Degla are preparing to take on El-Talefounat, Zamalek and El-Geish Sunday. The highest-flying are the Ittihad-Zamalek game in the Alexandria Stadium, the Petrojet-El-Hodoud clash in Suez and Al-Ahly playing against Smouha in the Cairo Stadium. Al-Ahly playing against Smouha
Al-Ahly finished their preparation for the match with Smouha Saturday night; coach Manuel José da Silva told the players it was vital to grab the three points of the game. The team will enter the match with many absences, such as striker Emad Meteab and defender Mohamed Naguib, due to injury."Meteab and Naguib may be fit for the Police Union game on Wednesday," team doctor Ehab Ali said. Moreover, the Red Devils will play against Smouha without defender Hossam Ghali and right-winger Ahmed Fathi, due to the fourth yellow card they got during the Military Production game. According to some sources, defender Sherif Abdel Fadil will participate in the defence line along with Wael Gomaa and Ahmed el-Sayyed. Smouha coach Shawqi Gharib decided to use Hani el-Egazi and Samuel Afoum as strikers against Al-Ahly, as defender Mohamed Samir, midfielder Mohssen Hendawi and goalkeeper Ramzi Saleh will lead the Alexandrian team in this game. Smouha beat Ismaili 2-1 last Monday thanks to two goals from Ghanaian striker Samuel Afoum, while Ahmed Ali scored for Ismaili. The win puts Smouha on 16th place with ten points, while Ismail remain on the sixth with 20 points. Gharib said he was very happy that his side snatched a victory over a big team like Ismaili. "The match wasn't easy, but we're improving with every game," he pointed out. The ex-Egypt general coach added that the persistence and determination of his players tipped the balance against the Daraweesh, a very respectable outfit. "The team really deserved the three points, they put on a good show against a great team," Gharib stressed. Zamalek-Ittihad clash Zamalek's assistant coach Ismail Youssef said that his team was ready for Sunday's tricky game against Al-Ittihad of Alexandria. “We are well prepared," Youssef stressed after training session, praising Ittihad's coaching staff. Youssef was pleased with his team's 1-0 win over El-Gouna last week, promising that the White Knights would get even better in the coming season. “The match against Masry was quite difficult, therefore I want to thank all players for their efforts. If they had been a bit less reckless and rash, they would have scored more goals," Youssef explained. "This win will give the team a boost," he added. Zamalek defeated El-Gouna in the 13th week of the Premier League thanks to Ahmed Hassan's goal. The victory put Zamalek (The White Knights) on the third place with 26 points from 11 games. Youssef added that the team had to contend with many injuries prior to the Gouna game, like for example Mohamed Abdel Shafei and Salah Soliman, which made the match difficult. "But the coaching staff is satisfied with the team's performance in these circumstances." Youssef said that changes made by the coaching staff aimed at controlling the midfield: "We used Ahmed Hassan to control the midfield instead of Omar Gaber, who is suffering from an injury.” Youssef added that the team's striker Ahmed Hossam 'Mido' would have a big role in the coming period, stressing that his non-participation in the last two games did not denigrate the talented player. "Mido is an important player, he has so much experience, and we want to take advantage of his presence," Youssef commented. Zamalek player Ahmed Hassan expressed his satisfaction with the victory over El-Gouna, urging his teammates to keep up the good work to the very end of the League. "The players' persistence, determination and high spirit were the main reason for winning," Hassan said after the game. Al-Ittihad of Alexandria held a training session Friday. The Spanish coach Juan José Maqueda tried some new tactics with the players, urging them to concentrate and prepare for the Zamalek defence's pressure from the beginning of the match to achieve an early goal. "The match with Zamalek equals only three points, but we hope to compensate for losing against El-Masry last week," Maqueda said. The ex-Real Madrid coach expressed concern over the absence of Mahmoud Samir after he was sent off in the Masry game, as well as Rami Rabei getting injured in the same game. Al-Ittihad stunned El-Masry with 2-0 last week. The result put Ittihad on tenth place with 15 points from 13 games.
Petrojet playing against el-Hodoud
Harras el-Hodoud put their final touches for the crucial match against Petrojet Saturday. Tareq el-Ashri, el-Hodoud's coach, said that he was focusing only on his team, stressing that he did not look at Al-Ahly's results. El-Hodoud are now at the top of the Premier League table with 28 points from 11 games, one point ahead of Al-Ahly on second place with 17 points. El-Ashri explained that the game against Petrojet would be difficult. "This match is very tough, particularly since our opponent has talented players and veteran coaching staff," he said. "We always aim to score goals, even if we have to concede one or two," el-Ashri stressed, adding that the players' fitness and determination to win were the key factors in their performance during the 13th week of the League. "Although there's still a long way to go, my players are capable of winning the League. We are missing injured players, but others can prove themselves," added Mahmoud Atta, the general coach of el-Hodoud. El-Hodoud's medical staff said that team striker Mohamed Saharawi might not be fit enough to participate in the game against Petrojet.
The Egyptian Premier League 14th week fixtures: Saturday January 14: 4:45pm Petrojet v el-Hodoud 4:45pm El-Dakhlia v El-Masry 4:45pm MCSD v Military Production 7:15pm Al-Ahly v Smouha Sunday January 15: 2:30pm Gouna v Talefounat 4:45pm Ittihad v Zamalek 7:15pm Wadi Degla v El-Geish
