Egyptian powerhouse Zamalek are hopeful the decision to appoint a new board of directors for the club could help them return to their winning ways when they take on ENPPI on Thursday. The Egyptian Higher Council for Sports (HCS) appointed Mamdouh Abbas as an interim president for Zamalek for one year to help bring stability to the club. Zamalek slumped to a stunning 1-0 defeat to Ghazl Mahalla in their opening game and will be looking to grab their first three points and close the gap the gap with rivals Ahli who were held to a goalless draw by Arab Contractors earlier this week. Ironically, Zamalek will be depending heavily on former ENPPI duo Amr Zaki and Magdi Attwa. The Cairo giants also welcome back goalkeeper Mohamed Abdul-Monsef and defender Ibrahim Saied. Abdul-Halim Ali and Alaa Abdul-Ghani will be back for Zamalek after serving a one-match suspension. Just as Zamalek have an initiative ahead of Thursday's game, ENPPI will be hoping to build on their successful start in the league.
Mahalla beat Zamalek and will be looking to duplicate their success against Ismaili ENPPI edged out Olympic Alexandria 1-0 last week and their curve looks to be improving after a strong start against Ahli in the Super Cup, which saw them lose 1-0 in the dying seconds of the game. The Ministry of Petroleum-club will also be eying their first win over Zamalek since being promoted to the top-flight four years ago. The first six matches between the two teams ended in draws, but Zamalek, surprisingly, won all three match-ups last season (two in the league and one in the cup competition). Zamalek will be without star striker Mostafa Gaafar, who is nursing an eye injury, while ENPPI go into the clash with a complete squad. Elsewhere, Mahalla, motivated by their surprise win over Zamalek, face another tough task when they face Ismaili, who crushed Masri 3-0, at home. Harras Al-Hodoud face Suez Cement in Alexandria before the second round is concluded on Friday with clashes between Tersana and Al-Gaish, Petrojet and Olympic, Masri and Tanta and Ittihad and Asyut Petroleum.
