Egyptian Premier League holders Ahli are out to overcome the challenge of their hosts Petrojet in a match that could see a number of new faces in the red shirt. The Reds turn their full attention to the domestic competition after being ousted from the Champions League, following a controversial defeat to Esperance. "The players are determined to recompense fans by beating Petrojet and moving towards another league title," said football director Hadi Khashaba. While missing some key figures, manager Hossam Al-Badri will have to look for other options to keep his side's unbeaten league record intact. "I will hand some reserve players like Abdul-Hamid Shabana and Amir Sayoud a chance to play," he said.
Toulan leads Petrojet against Ahli for the first time In addition to Shabana and Sayoud, Lebanese striker Mohamed Ghaddar is likely to make his full debut as Ahli's frontline is almost out of service. Mohamed Fadl, Osama Hosni and Francis Doe are all ruled out with injuries, whereas Mohamed Talaat has been relegated to the U-20 team for disciplinary reasons. Ahmed Shokri is another player pushing for a start against Petrojet, who are unbeaten since the second week. Despite their fine form of late, the Suez club have a far-from-good record against Ahli, having lost eight of their ten meetings with the 35-time champions and drawn the rest. "The players are anxious because they've never beaten Ahli before, but this could be an advantage for us," said manager Helmi Toulan, who took the helm from Mokhtar Mokhtar in the summer.
