Ahli welcome talisman Mohamed Abou-Treika back from injury as they host an ambitious Gaish side in Cairo. Fans favorite Treika returns to boost his team following a long-term foot injury that forced him to miss Egypt's African Cup of Nations campaign. Ahli, who were hit by a number of injuries recently, also have back Sayed Moawad to boost the left flank after he missed the last three games. The league leaders, almost regaining full strength, are aiming to maintain their supremacy amid competition from second-placed Petrojet and the fantastic form of arch-rivals Zamalek.
Gaafar Zamalek's dismal start to the season sparked relegation fears for the Cairo giants, but they are now back in the top four, closing the gap with Ahli to nine points. Some pundits have even tipped the White Knights to provide a title-challenge with their bitter rivals, who became under pressure to respond. On the other hand, Farouk Gaafar's Gaish enjoyed an impressive first-half of the season to find themselves competing for a place in the top four. "I think we have a very good team and we are ready to face the champions. We target an advanced position in the league table," Gaafar said.
-Gaish lost 10 games, drew 2, won 0 against Ahli. -Abou-Treika is Ahli's top scorer against Gaish with 7 goals. Should they claim their first-ever victory over Ahli, Gaish will move to third place of the table. The military side will be without suspended trio Walid Aslan, Amer Sabri and Hossam Abdul-Aal, while Ahli recover the services of Wael Gomaa. Elsewhere, bottom club Mansoura will be looking for their first win since November when host relegation rivals Ghazl Mahalla. In Port-Said, Masri clash with Harras Hodoud in another crunch bottom-of-the-table confrontation.
