A tired Zamalek encounter el-Gouna on Friday in the Egyptian Premier League in the Upper Egyptian city of Sohag. The Cairo Giants are anxious to beat el-Gouna, as they dropped two points on Monday when they were held to a 0-0 draw by Ismaili in the Canal city of Ismailia. The White Knights, who lie in the third place with 37 points, are hoping to win the title this season. New coach Hossam Hassan has already worked wonders and has promised the officials and players that they'll bag the title. He says that Zamalek really deserve the trophy. Three Zamalek players are suffering from exhaustion ahead of Friday's game at Gouna, while Hassan Moustafa has a minor hamstring problem. Trio Shikabala, Hussein Yasser and Ahmed Magdi were pulled out of the White Knights' training session on Wednesday because of fatigue, while midfielder Moustafa also took no part in the session. However, all four players are expected to be fit for Zamalek's trip to Gouna in the Egyptian Premier League, according to the Cairo club's official site. Meanwhile, el-Gouna boss Ismail Youssef believes that Friday's game with Zamalek will be a stern challenge for his team, predicting that the Cairo side will come on with all guns blazing against el-Gouna. "Facing Zamalek is always a tough task, and it's way tougher this time around," Youssef says. El-Gouna are lying in the relegation zone in 14th place on 21 points. In the Delta city of el-Mahalla, Ghazl el-Mahalla host Arab Contractors on Friday in the same competition. The game is crucial for both teams as they each have 24 points. Arab Contractors lie in 11th place, while Ghazl are in 12th place, behind Contractors on goal difference.
