CAIRO - Zamalek's general coach Ismail Youssef urged his players to concentrate hard when they clash with Maghreb de Fes in round 16 of the African Champions League (ACL) Sunday in Cairo at 7:30pm (Cairo Local Time) at the Military Academy Stadium behind closed doors. “Maghreb de Fes are a strong team, they play well when away from home. They are technically and physically ready, because they play regularly in their Premier League, which will make the game difficult," Youssef explained, stressing that the White Knights would not intend to play for a draw, because this would be quite dangerous. The White Knights defeated Maghreb de Fes 2-0 in Rabat thanks to goals by Ahmed Hassan and Ahmed Gaafar. Zamalek need to win or draw the second leg in Cairo or even lose by only one goal in order to qualify directly for the ACL group stage. Youssef added in his comments on the official Confederation of African Football (CAF) website cafonline.com that the team learned from previous lessons, particularly from the Moroccan Raja Casablanca game. In 2006, Zamalek faced Raja Casablanca in the Arab Champions League, and the White Knights achieved a 2-0 away victory, while on the return leg in Cairo, Zamalek was defeated with 3-0 and knocked out of the tournament. “We learnt from our previous lessons, that's why we will play the Maghreb de Fes game only with the aim to win,” Youssef stressed. "The win will not mean that we automatically qualify for the ACL group stage. But it's obvious that we want to win and I am confident that the team can do it on the return leg," Youssef added, expressing his satisfaction over their victory in Rabat. Zamalek will enter the match without some key players like the dangerous striker Razak Omotoyossi of Benin, while striker Ahmed Hossam 'Mido' and right-winger Ahmed Samir will be absent due to injuries. Omotoyossi was given a four-match ban by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) due to an angry exchange with the referee during the Africa Sports of Côte d'Ivoire game in round 32. Team captain and goalkeeper Abdul-Wahed el-Sayyed will return after a suspension and so will defender Hani Said when he has recovered from an injury. Zamalek, the five-time African champions, qualified for round 16 of the ACL after defeating Africa Sports in round 32. The White Knights lost 2-1 to Africa Sports of Côte d'Ivoire in the second-leg game in Abidjan but qualified on the away-goal rule. A late penalty goal by striker Amr Zaki saved the day for the White Knights. In the first leg, Zamalek beat Africa Sports 1-0 behind closed doors in the Military Stadium, thanks to a goal by Benin striker Razak Omotoyossi. According to the club's official website, the team continued their preparation and training for the ACL game and all players gave distinguished performances. Training sessions begin with running and physical exercises followed by tactical training for individual players. Benin striker Razak Omotoyossi was fined for his absence from training. “Razak said he would join the training camp in Saudi Arabia but asked to be excused from the camp in Kuwait, because he wants to join the Benin national team, which has a preparation camp on May 20 for the 2014 World Cup qualifiers,” Youssef explained. He added that the coaching staff insisted on the player's participation, although he would only be absent for three days. “We need him in both training camps, in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait,” Youssef added. On Monday, Zamalek will travel to Saudi Arabia for a friendly match against the Saudi Al-Nahda Club on Wednesday, May 16, which will be Al-Nahda player Nasser el-Mansour retirement game. After the Saudi match, Zamalek will travel to Kuwait to enter a closed preparation camp from May 17 to 22, during which the team will play a friendly with Egypt's Misr Elmaqasah on May 19 and another one with the Kuwaiti national team on May 21. The team's assistant coach Osama Nabih said that the ACL return game would be difficult and not as easy as one might think, as the opponent was a good and well-organised team. He stressed that Zamalek was a big team and always wanted to win, whether playing at home or away. White Knights player Ahmed Hassan agreed with Nabih and said that losing against Maghreb de Fes at home would make him angry. “We should score an early goal to make the task easier and ensure the qualification for the ACL group stage," Hassan told GoalFmRadio.com. “We are focusing on overcoming the obstacle represented by Maghreb de Fes in round 16 and on competing for the African Champions League title,” Hassan concluded.
