Telecom Egypt coach Hossam Hassan will be hoping to secure a surprise win when his team meet Ahli in the Egyptian Premier League on Thursday. Hassan took over Telecom in early March following the sacking of Helmi Toulan, and the former Ahli and Zamalek star is confident of his team's chances against Ahli. "Of course we know that it is very difficult for any team to beat Ahli, but we desperately need a win, and we'll be doing our best to register a positive result," Hassan earlier said. Telecom are currently fourteenth in the table with 24 points, just two points behind thirteenth-placed Asyut Petroleum. Hassan already beat Ahli once this season when he was still working with Masri, when the Port Said side beat the Red Devils 2-0. Telecom recently registered their first Premier League win in 15 games when they overcame Olympic 2-0. On the other side, Ahli's technical staff are fully aware of the relegation strugglers' threat. "It will be very tough facing any of the teams playing in the relegation zone," assistant coach Hossam Al-Badri told Ahli's official website. "They have nothing to lose and will be desperate to improve their positions." Ahli will have both Hussein Ali and Hussein Yasser back in the side after a month of absence for technical reasons, while Ahmed Hassan and Amir Abdul-Hamid are out injured. Defender Ahmed Al-Sayed won't be available for the game due to suspension.
