Ahly coach Mohamed Youssef blamed bad luck and limited choices for Tuesday's 0-0 draw against Ittihad of Alexandria, insisting that he will stand by his players until the team regains its top performance.

The African champions' poor showing in the Egyptian league continued as they failed to pass Ittihad after two consecutive defeats followed by a narrow win against Ghazl Al-Mahalla last week.

The Cairo giants, who suffer the absence of some key players due to injuries or retirement, currently lie at the top of Group A with 16 points, one ahead of second placed Arab Contractors.

"Ahly is a big team and draw isn't acceptable. Winning the match was our main target but we weren't lucky enough as we missed a lot of chances in the second half," Youssef said after the match.

"Some patience is needed as the technical staff faces limited choices due to the current absentees. We will keep trying new faces until we reach the best formation.

"We will do our best to regain our reputed performance and results. I will stand by my players till we do that and I will be patient," the coach added.

Meteb, Fadil boost Ahly against Gouna

On Wednesday, Ahly will directly start preparations for the Gouna clash -- the last domestic test before the anticipated CAF Super Cup match against Tunisian side Sfaxien on 20 February.

"For now we remain focused on winning the Gouna match and keeping our position at the group's summit and then we can think about the Super Cup," Youssef said.

According to the club's official website, veteran striker Emad Meteb and defender Sherif Abdel-Fadil have recovered from their injuries and will be ready to face Gouna on Saturday.

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