Ahly's Amr Gamal (Photo: Al-Ahram)
Ahly’s squad has been boosted by the return of injured key players ahead of the CAF Confederation Cup game against Tunisian side Club African on Sunday.
Recently recovered striker Amr Gamal and midfielder Walid Soliman are expected to headline the Cairo giants in Tunisia when the Red Devils face Club African in the second leg of the CAF Confederation round of 16 on seven June. Title- holders Ahly won the first leg 2-1 in Cairo.
Gamal, widely acclaimed for his aerial prowess, has been out of action since rupturing a cruciate knee ligament last October. Ahly struggled for effectiveness upfront without the 23-year-old, with fellow strikers, the foreign duo -- Peter Ebimobowei and Saladin Said -- failing to impress.
Ahly is still without Moemen Zakarey, Mahmoud Hassan 'Trezeguet' and Ahmed Abdel-Zaher due to injuries but Soliman and Gamal’s return could make the difference for coach Fathi Mabrouk who has struggled with the absence of key players' since his arrival to lead the team, replacing Spanish coach Garrido.
Early last week the Cairo giants' coach Mabrouk hoped that his team's injured players would recover and return to the squad before the second leg of the CAF Confederation Cup.
"The injury of key players has put the team in a critical situation, as we suffer when we play league and African games," Mabrouk was quoted as saying on the club's official website.
"I hope all injured players recover before the Club Africain game," he added.
CAF Confederation Cup title-holders Ahly are to travel to Tunisia to play the second leg, expected to be a tough challenge for the team.
Ahly's 19-man squad
Goalkeepers:Sherif Ekrami, Mosaad Awad, Ahmed Adel
Defenders:Sherif Hazem, Saad Samir, Mohamed Naguib, Bassem Ali, Mohamed Hani, Sabri Rahil
Midfielders: Hossam Ghaly, Hossam Ashour, Abdullah El-Saied, Walid Soliman, Karim Bambo, Ramadan Sobhi
Strikers:Emad Meteb, Peter Ebimobowei, Saladin Saied and Amro Gamal
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