Ahli and Ismaili rivalry will reach its climax when both sides meet in the Egyptian Premier League playoff at Max Stadium on Sunday (16:00 GMT). With no love lost between the traditional foes, a tense affair is expected to take place in Alexandria after Ahli and Ismaili finished level at the top on 63 points each. Harras Hodoud's Max Stadium, a neutral venue, can host up to 18,000 spectators but only 6,000 supporters for each team will be able to attend the match due to tight security restrictions. "We will install surveillance cameras inside and outside the stadium to monitor any improper acts," Khairi Mousa, the chief security officer in Alexandria, said. "We won't allow anyone to enter the stadium with anything of a glassy state. Bottles and fireworks are also banned." Security forces have been ordered to a high state of alert after the ugly scenes that marred Ahli's 1-0 away victory over Ismaili last January. Fans from both sides disrupted the game by throwing dozens of fireworks and broken seats onto the pitch. Since then, Ahli fans have been complaining from the treatment they get from security personnel every time they attend a match for the Red Devils. Jose Farewell Manuel Jose will be seeking to finish his successful adventure with Ahli in the best possible way by leading them to a fifth consecutive league title.
End of successful tenure for Jose The Portuguese tactician will leave the Cairo giants at the end of the month to take over at Angola. "Ahli are a great team and will remain great following my departure," Jose, a cult figure for Ahli fans after steering the team to a host of local and continental titles in two spells, said. Ismaili, who won the last of their three league triumphs in 2002 after beating off competition from Ahli, eye a similar upset. They finished the race neck and neck with Ahli after a late revival saw them claim six successive victories. "We are very enthusiastic to win the title. We want to please our fans after exerting lots of efforts throughout the season," Ismaili's Brazilian coach Ricardo Ferreira, who could also leave the club after the decider, stated. The Dervishes will have to do without talented winger Omar Gamal, who ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament, and injured striker Mohamed Fadl. They welcome back in-form striker Mohamed Mohsen Abou-Greisha, who played a key role in the team's recent wins but missed Wednesday's crucial 3-0 victory over Tersana through suspension. Ahli will miss mercurial midfielder Mohamed Barakat, who failed to recover from injury in time, but will have Ahmed Hassan available after the veteran midfielder survived a car accident on Thursday. Sunday's playoff match is the third meeting between Ahli and Ismaili in such a decisive game. Ismaili defeated Ahli 2-0 in 1991 but the latter had the upper hand three years later, winning 4-3.
