Full time: Zamalek 0-0 Ahly



The referee blows his final whistle, it ends in a goalless draw

90+2' Zamalek make their final substitution. Mohamed Abdel-Salam replaces Boutaib.

90+1 The referee adds two minutes of stoppage time.

90' Ahly's Ayman Ashraf receives a yellow cards as Zamalek are awarded a foul near the edge of the area.

86' Azaro spurns a golden chance for Ahly! A slip by Abdel-Ghani releases him but he surprisingly squares the ball instead of shooting and the defence clears the danger.

82' Ahly make their third substitution. Saleh Gomaa replaces Junior Ajayi.

81' The first real chance for Zamalek! a corner finds Ahaddad on the far post and he blasts high over with the goal gaping!

81' Zamalek make their second substitution. Striker Omar El-Said repalces winger Kahraba.

79' Yellow cards are still flying as Ahly's Mohamed Hani receives a yellow card for a late challenge.

75' Zamalek's Hamid Ahaddas is also booked!

75' Ahly's Ramadan Sobhi is booked for a late challenge on Boutaib.

73' Ahly make their second substitution. Moroccan striker Walid Azaro replaces Marwan Mohsen.

73' Zamalek midfielder Tarek Hamed and Ahly's Marwan Mohsen both receive yellow cards after tangling for a ball.

72' Both sides are still finding it hard to mount any serious efforts.

68' Wayward long and short passes define the second half so far.

64' It's a very scrappy affair so far!

62' Zamalek make their first substitution. Moroccan winger Hamid Ahaddad replaces Ahmed Sayed.

59' A weak shot from Amr El-Sulaya is collected by Zamalek keeper Gennesh after some fine individual work from Geraldo.

57' Ahly make their first substitution. Angolan winger Geraldo replaces the disappointing Nasser Maher.

57' Zamalek look somewhat dangerous on the breakaways.

54' A floated cross from Kahraba is cleared by a last-ditch interception from an Ahly defender before it reaches Boutaib.

52' A chance for Zamalek! A through pass releases Khalid Boutaib but El-Shennawi rushes out. Boutaib recovers the ball and pulls it back but Kahraba's subsequent shot goes high over.

51' A Zamalek through pass is pushed away by El-Shennawi into a corner.

48' Ahly playmaker Nasser Maher for tugging an opponent.

46' Zamalek's Youssef Ibrahim wastes what could have been a clear-cut chance! He dithers on the ball and his eventual pass is too late as the linesman raises his flag for offside.

The second half is underway

The referee blows his halftime whistle

45+2' The best chance of the first half falls to Ahly! A goal-line clearance from Mohamed Abdel-Ghani denies a header from Nasser Maher after a goal-mouth scramble.

45' The referee adds two minutes of stoppage time.

42' It seems this match can be settled by a fortuitous goal!

38' Zamalek's energetic left-back Abdallah Gomaa receives treatment after making a sliding tackle on the slippery pitch.

35' There are too many mis-placed passes because of the waterlogged pitch!

32' Zamalek create their best chance! Youssef Ibrahim's lows shot from the edge of the area goes just wide.

29' A Ramadan Sobhi cross is cleared for a corner by Mohamed Abdel-Ghani as Ahly pile on pressure.

28' A long ball causes mayhem in the Zamalek area and Amr El-Sulaya's low shot is saved by Mahmoud Gennesh to go out for a corner.

26' Zamalek's Tunisian midfielder Sassi is booked for a mis-timed challenge on an opponent.

24' In Ahly's best effort, Mohsen rises over his marker but his head goes wide of the post.

23' A Zamalek free-kick is whipped into the area and eludes a crowd of defenders, only for El-Shennawi to handle it.

23' Zamalek relatively improve after a slow start, but they are yet to create a clear-cut chance.

19' A low shot from Zamalek's Ahmed Sayed is deflected for a corner.

19' A rare interchange of passes in Ahly's area is intercepted by the Red Devils' defence.

16' Ferjani Sassi's weak-long shot goes into the safe hands of Ahly keeper El-Shennawi.

13' Both sides are struggling to move the ball around due to the condition of the pitch.

10' The referee warns Zamalek's right-back Hazem Emam after he made a strong challenge on Hossam Ashour.

7' At the other end, Marwan Mohsen heads wide from a Nasser Maher cross. No goal-scoring chances so far.

6' Ahly keeper El-Shennawi rushes out in a timely manner to collect a through ball from Ferjani Sassi.

5' Ahly's forward Junior Ajayi tries his luck but skies his shot high over.

4' Ahly's first corner is cleared by the Zamalek defence.

3' It seems there is a heavy rain in Alexandria, which is expected to further affect the poor pitch.

2' A long ball by Ahly goes into the hands of Zamalek keeper Mahmoud Gennesh. Who will gain the initiative tonight?

The match is underway

Starting line-ups:

Zamalek: Mahmoud Gennesh, Hazem Emam, Mohamed Abdel-Ghani, Mahmoud Hamdi, Abdallah Gomaa, Tarek Hamed, Ferjani Sassi, Ahmed Sayed, Youssef Ibrahim, Mahmoud Kahraba, Khalid Boutaib

Ahly: Mohamed El-Shennawi, Mohamed Hani, Saad Samir, Ayman Ashraf, Ali Maaloul, Hossam Ashour, Amr El-Sulaya, Ramadan Sobhi, Junior Ajayi, Nasser Maher, Marwan Mohsen

18:50 Both sides step onto the pitch, ten minutes before kick-off.

18:15 Zamalek miss key duo Mahmoud Alaa and Tunisian right-back Hamdi Nagguez, both of home were injured. There are no surprises in Ahly's line-up, with Marwan Mohsen spearheading the attack.

17:30 Zamalek defenders Mahmoud Alaa and Hamdi Nagguez are doubtful for the game as they seem struggling with their injuries.

17:15 Romanian referee Stefan Kovacs has checked the pitch and it seems the game will go on as scheduled.

16:30 According to reports, the pitch isn't flooded anymore and the referee is expected to arrive at 5 to give the final decision.

15:30 The only question for Ahly coach Martin Lasarte would likely be whether to field Marwan Mohsen or Nigerian Junior Ajayi as a lone striker. Should Mohsen get the nod, Ajayi is likely to be deployed on the left flank, where he often links up well with in-form full-back Ali Maaloul, a Tunisian fan favourite.

15:15 Apart from their long-term absentees, there are no injury worries for Ahly and Zamalek.

15:00 Heated exchanges between supporters of both sides have flooded social networking websites in recent days, with every group sharpening its knives in anticipation of a much-needed victory.

14:40 The pitch of Alexandria's Borg El-Arab stadium is now 100% ready to host the game after removing the rainwater, however the final decision regarding the match will be taken by Romanian referee Stefan Kovacs according to the head of competitions' committee Amer Huessin

14:30 Zamalek, on the other hand, appeared more consistent this term despite the recent struggles, producing some vivid attacking displays that had their fans believing it is their time to wrestle the title from Ahly, winners of the past three editions.

13:50 Since slumping to a 2-1 defeat by Pyramids in early January, Ahly have chalked up nine straight wins and, coupled with three draws for Zamalek including two successive 2-2 outcomes in the previous two matches, the gap was trimmed and the title race was thrown wide open.

13:30 However, some timely signings in January turned around the fortunes of Ahly, who made the most of the undoubted qualities of the likes of Ramadan Sobhi, who re-joined his boyhood club on a short-term loan deal from Huddersfield Town, and Angolan winger Geraldo to remind their challengers that it's not the time to write them off yet.

13:00 Less than three months ago, Ahly's season looked to be unravelling. A series of disappointing results saw them fall behind in the title race, with Zamalek opening up a comfortable seven-point lead over the defending champions.

12:30 Heavy rains in Alexandria could be a reason to postpone the anticipated derby according to the head of competitions' committee Amer Huessin
"If the rains didn't stop during the coming two hours, we may reconsider the timing of the match," Huessin told Egyptian sports website Filgoal.com.

12:30 But a subdued atmosphere in the stands is not likely to reflect on the pitch, where both sides are expected to give it their all in a derby billed as the most competitive in years, thanks to Ahly's sudden climb up the table after they arrested a patchy form.

12:10 With only two points separating the perennial rivals, all eyes will be on Alexandria's Borg El-Arab Stadium that despite all the hype surrounding the match will only host less than 100 spectators due to security concerns.

12:00 The coveted Egyptian Premier League title remains up for grabs as bitter foes Ahly and Zamalek clash in an anticipated Cairo derby on Saturday that could make or break their season.


Stay tuned as match is due to start at 19:00 Cairo time (GMT+2)



Venue: Borg El-Arab stadium, Alexandria

Referee: Stefan Kovacs (Romania)

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