Zamalek have no choice but to defeat Zimbabwe's Dynamos in Harare if they are to reach the CAF Champions League semis for the first time since 2005. The Cairo giants lie at the bottom of Group A with five points but the second semi-final berth is still up for grabs, as Zamalek's arch-rivals Ahli already secured passage to the penultimate round. Runaway leaders Ahli occupy the summit with 11 points while Dynamos are second on 6 points, one ahead of Zamalek and ASEC. Zamalek need to beat Dynamos and hope Ahli don't lose against ASEC in Cairo if they are to go through. “I will not be concerned with what Ahli do against ASEC. I just want Zamalek to win irrespective of any other result,” Zamalek coach Reiner Hollmann said. The White Knights will have to do with a depleted squad.
Hollmann rues bad luck Forward Gamal Hamza, who scored in Zamalek's 2-2 draw with Ahli last week, will miss the game through suspension. So will combative defender Amr Al-Safti. Influential sweeper Hani Saied and versatile midfielder Mohamed Ibrahim have been ruled out of the anticipated tie due to injury. “Zamalek have been the unluckiest team in the group. We played every match amid injury and suspension problems.” “None of our competitors suffered similar problems,” the German tactician added. But Hollmann will be boosted by the return of striker Junior Agogo and defender Mahmoud Fathallah, who shrugged off knee complaints.
