Monday is the last chance for the relegation-threatened teams in the Egyptian Premier League competition. Other outfits are battling it out for third or fourth place at the other end of the table. Al-Ahly, who meet Military Production on Monday in Cairo, have already won their sixth successive title in a row, while Zamalek have secured second place, thereby securing a berth in the African Champions League. El-Masri host Gouna on Monday at home in the coastal city of Port Said. The match is crucial for both teams, threatened with relegation. Gouna lie in the 11th place with 33 points, while el-Masri are in the 12th, also on 33 points. Both Mansoura, who host Zamalek on Monday, and Assiut Petroleum have already been relegated, with 18 and 19 points respectively. Mansoura, who had been promoted to the First Division in 2009 after many years of absence, haven't performed well this season. In the Upper Egyptian city of Assiut, Assiut Petroleum host Ismaili in the league on Monday. The Canal-based club Ismaili are hoping to win and secure third place, at the expense of relegated Assiut. The Dervishes, who lie in the fourth place with 45 points, will be missing important players like Mohamed Sobhi, Mohamed Hommos, Ahmed Samir Farag and Ahmed Hegazi, due to yellow cards. Meanwhile, Zamalek have reached an agreement with head coach Hossam Hassan to extend his contract for one year. "We wanted to give the coaching staff a boost before the Egyptian Cup gets underway," Zamalek's board member Ibrahim Youssef told FilGoal.com. "The new deal should be officially announced after our last Premier League game against Mansoura on Monday." Hassan, nicknamed ‘The Dean', took charge of Zamalek late in November, after the White Knights had suffered a string of poor results under Swiss tactician Michel Decastal and Frenchman Henri Michel early this season. Many pundits once questioned his ability to manage the Cairo giants, but the 43-year-old has inspired a turnaround in the club's fortunes. Zamalek were languishing in 10th place near the relegation zone when Hassan was appointed; under his guidance, the five-time African champions have secured a second-place finish in the league. "We should also sit down with Hassan after the Mansoura match to discuss his requirements for the team," Youssef added. Ahly's midfielder Ahmed Fathi, meanwhile, is widely expected to shrug off his groin injury before the Egyptian Cup gets underway, the Egyptian champions said. The talented Egyptian international took no part in the Red Devils' league games against Ahly and Ismaili last month, before missing the CAF Champions League tie with Libya's Ittihad early this month. But Fathi looks like recovering soon. "Fathi is improving significantly and should be available for the Egyptian Cup matches," Ahly's football director Hadi Khashaba told the club's official website. Later this month, the Cairo side will play their first cup match against a little-known outfit called Nabaroh, based in Daqahlia Governorate, who play in one of the lower divisions.
