Ahli will be taking no prisoners when they clash with Gaish in Cairo in the final round of the Egyptian Premier League. The Red Devils are tied on 60 points on top of the table with Ismaili, as they need to secure a win that will either win them the title or keep them even with the Dervishes. The coastal club will be facing Tersana at the same timing, and a win for both Ahli and Ismaili will set up a league decider to be held on May 24th. The situation is a repeat of the 2001-2002 league finale, when the two teams took the title challenge to the wire, before Ahli lost the competition after dropping two points to the then Farouk Gaafar's Ghazl Mahalla in the penultimate round. Gaafar will once again be the man trying to halt the African champions' dreams, as the former Zamalek star – currently coaching Gaish – is looking to dramatically upset Ahli. "I'm hoping to repeat the same scenario as 2002 when I led Mahalla to a 1-1 draw against Ahli, a result which paved way for Ismaili to win the title," Gaafar said. "Of course I want to repeat such result for the sake of my team. It will be a very difficult match but we'll do our best to improve our position." Gaish are currently seventh in the table with 38 points.
Gaafar and his Gaish staff Farewell Title Ahli, who won the last consecutive four league titles, are also desperate to gift their favourite competition's trophy to the departing Manuel Jose. The Portuguese will be leaving the club by the end of the season after five and half unforgettable years and winning another league will be the best way to end his reign. Over the past few years, Ahli and their fans have been proud of winning the Premier League without much effort, and being driven to the edge this season somehow hurt their ego. The club hope that finally winning the title will maintain their status as Egypt's undisputed champions. Jose will be without the injured Mohamed Barakat against Gaish. However, defender Wael Gomaa and full-back Sayed Moawad are back in the squad. The duo missed the CAF Confederation Cup game against Santos FC due to injury.
