Injury-prone Mohamed Abou-Treika is eager to recover in time for Ahli's crunch meeting against Zamalek for the sake of the Egyptian champions' faithful. Ahli fans will be desperate to see their favorite man step onto the pitch when the Red Devils host arch-rivals Zamalek in the Champions League group stage next month. Their hopes are reasonable, definitely. Those kinds of matches always prove to be a special occasion for the classy playmaker. Against Zamalek in particular, Abou-Treika makes the difference through his dazzling skills, neat passes and accurate shots. "I will be very sad if I fail to participate in Zamalek match because Ahli fans are not used to missing my presence in season curtain-raisers," Abou-Treika said. "Hopefully, I will be fully fit come the anticipated clash. It will be then up to the technical staff to decide whether to field me," he told Ahli official website. The 29-year-old notched eight goals against Zamalek, an impressive record for a player who has arrived at Ahli just four years ago. Abou-Treika, who is suffering from a recurring knee problem, was apparently frustrated with Manuel Jose's insistence to prevent him from training while not fully fit. Nevertheless, the former Tersana man showed nothing but gratitude to the Portuguese coach.
"I tried several times to convince Jose to let me participate in training. My efforts were to no avail." "Jose kept on telling me that any risk could lead to dire consequences. He insisted that my football career is much more important than playing any match. "I was unhappy to be denied the chance to train, but at the same time I appreciated Jose's caring about me. To be honest, he always does the same things with all players." Important Encounter Abou-Treika believes a win over Zamalek in the upcoming Champions League encounter would bring Ahli huge benefits. "A win over Zamalek in the group stage opener will help us approach the second game against ASEC Mimosas, which is also a very tough one, in the best possible way." "It will also boost the players' morale before we face Zamalek once again in the Egyptian Super Cup few days after the African clash." Abou-Treika insists that beating Zamalek is never easy despite Ahli's superiority over the White Castle in recent seasons. "Zamalek are a prestigious team, we have to fully respect them," he commented. "They strengthened their squad after signing some players with great quality. Zamalek's new technical staff will be also keen to prove their worth. "Our opponents are very motivated to win silverware, so we shouldn't expect an easy ride."
