In April 2008, all what Ahli needed to claim their fourth consecutive Egyptian Premier League title was a mere point from a goalless draw with Baladeya. At the same time this year, winning one point from a score tie with Baladeya's neighbors Ghazl Mahalla ignited the title race. Now the Red Devils are only one point clear on top, after second-placed Ismaili thrashed Arab Contractors 5-1 to keep the competition hanging in the balance. The Dervishes, who have four games remaining, are anticipating any lapse for Ahli and hoping to maintain a winning streak till the end of the season. Ismaili assistant coach Ahmed Al-Agouz admitted last week that his team do not have a snowball's chance in hell of winning the league trophy, following a 2-2 draw with Police Union. However, his attitude was completely changed following the coastal side's blockbusting victory over Contractors, as he assured that his side would remain in contention till the very end. "We have been given a lifeline when Ahli failed to beat Police," Al-Agouz said after his team's victory over the Mountain Wolves. Ahli, who have a game in hand against arch-rivals Zamalek, can't afford to surrender any points till the end of the season if they are to claim their fifth successive title. Obstacles Tersana, ENPPI, Harras Hodoud, Gaish and Zamalek are the obstacles Ahli have to overcome in order to snatch the league title. Although Manuel Jose's team boast a much better pedigree than all five teams', this season witnessed so many surprises that make it hard to speculate the results of the forthcoming meetings. Honors were even between Ahli, who usually celebrate their league triumph midway through the season, and ENPPI in their first clash this season. The 33-time Egyptian champions put up an uphill struggle to defeat Hodoud 1-0, after the latter ousted them from the Egyptian Cup quarter-finals and eventually won the competition.
Ismaili are closely trailing Ahli Ahli also failed to beat Gaish in the first half of the season, after the military side secured a share of the spoils in a 2-2 thriller. Tersana were the only easy ride for Ahli who battered them 4-0. Much as Ahli have demonstrated out-and-out superiority in the Cairo Derby over the last years, no one can vouch for Zamalek's lack of chances this term. After a host of horrendous performances and recurrent losses, the White Knights pulled themselves together and now are looking forward to finishing their domestic campaign in the best possible way. They were buoyed by the promotion of several talented youngsters, including Ahmed Al-Merghani and Hazem Emam. Firepower To the same extent, Ismaili will have to win all their upcoming matches to keep their title hopes alive in the two-horse race. Ittihad, Zamalek, Telecom Egypt and Tersana are the four teams Ricardo Ferreira's side will have to sink, which should be no mission impossible. In the first half of the season, Ismaili pipped all four outfits. They clinched a hard-fought 3-2 win over Ittihad, registered a 1-0 victory over Zamalek and outclassed both Telecom and Tersana with a same 2-0 scoreline. However, Ismaili's firepower will not be as venomous as in the first half of the season, with Iraqi hitman Mostafa Karim always benched. Moreover, Ricardo's assistant Al-Agouz believes lack of cutting-edge is what might threaten Ismaili's dream. "Wasting clear-cut chances has become a phenomenal in our team, we won't be able to win the title unless we address that problem," he stated.
