Egypt's Al-Ahly flew on Tuesday to Libya to meet Al-Ittihad of Tripoli in the African Champions League (ACL) last 16 on Friday. Ahly, who are close to clinching a sixth successive local league title after a 3-3 draw with Zamalek Friday night in Cairo, are missing key players such as Emad Met'eb, Ahmed Fathi and Mohamed Samir. The Egyptian champions say that Met'eb is suffering from a back problem, which means he hasn't travelled with the squad. Ahly's goalkeeper Sherif Ekrami has returned to the squad after recovering from a hamstring injury, while Mohamed Fadl and Mohamed Talaat, who were both dropped from the weekend's draw with Zamalek, have also been included. Ahly's coach Hossam el-Badri has warned the players not to be overconfident, as Ittihad are a very good team. Nevertheless, the 50-year-old coach stresses that Ahly are very strong and ready for the game. He also knows that Ittihad will have great backing from their many fans in Tripoli. The team, who put on well in training on Tuesday, before flying to Libya, have promised their fans that they'll win the African title. The Egyptian team have been studying their opponents on video. The two sides met three years ago in the same championship. Meanwhile, Ahly's skipper Ahmed el-Sayyed has penned a two-year extension to his contract with the club, the local media reported on Tuesday. "El-Sayyed agreed to sign the contract without any conditions. It was only delayed because he wanted to focus on the league campaign," says Ahly's director Hadi Khashaba. El-Sayyed, who missed the Zamalek game with an ankle injury, is included in the squad for the Tripoli clash. "I have renewed my contract with Ahly because I feel that the team need me," comments the 29-year-old centre-half, who has been with the Red Devils since 2001. Al-Ahly's squad includes Ahmed Adel, Ekrami, Mohamed Mokhtar, Wael Gomaa, Sherif Abdel-Fadil, Ahmed el-Sayyed, Sayyed Moawad, Ahmed Ali, Mohmed Barakat, Mohamed Abou Treika, Ahmed Hassan, Hossam Ashour, Fadl, Shehab Ahmed, Ahmed Shoukri, Osama Hosni, Hani el-Egeizi, Talaat and Abdullah Farouq.
