Zamalek were held to a 1-1 draw by Petrojet in their previous Egyptian Premier League game (photo courtesy of Zamalek's official Facebook page)
Defending champions Zamalek face a tough clash against leaders Maqassa on Saturday at a time when there are signs of uneasiness following last week's 1-1 draw at Petrojet.
The Whites were braced for a tough run of league fixtures starting with the Petrojet clash, and having failed to secure a win after coming back from one goal down to claim a draw, they will be looking to make amends against Maqassa.
Maqassa, on the other side, are not expected to be pushovers, and Zamalek in particular do not quite enjoy a good record with the current leaders, who frustrated the champions more than once during the past few years.
Following an 18-match unbeaten streak during Zamalek's triumphant campaign last season, Maqassa beat the Cairo side 2-1 – handing then-coach Jesualdo Ferreira his first defeat at the helm.
The Zamalek faithful will also never forget their side's 2-1 home reverse against the same opponents back in 2011, a defeat that largely undermined their title charge before perennial rivals Ahly eventually won the league.
The two sides' record during the only two complete seasons they played one another in is quite telling, with Zamalek winning twice and Maqassa triumphing in as many games in four league fixtures.
And Zamalek will now be looking to gain the upper hand against the resilient opponents when they meet this time around, even though the title holders would have wished to approach the game in better circumstances.
Apart from the frustrating draw at Petrojet, Zamalek have witnessed some major changes in the management just a few days ago, with Mohamed Salah and Medhat Abdel-Hadi replacing Tarek Mostafa and Sami El-Shesheni as assistant coaches respectively.
The assistants' reshuffle came upon the request of Brazilian manager Marcos Paqueta, who took charge of the team following the surprise exit of Ferreira during the league's 40-day break.
The management changes also followed club president Mortada Mansour's decision to freeze the players' financial dues following the Petrojet draw.
On the bright side, Zamalek will welcome back attacking midfielder Mahmoud Kahraba, whose penetrative runs were quite missed during the draw at the petroleum side. Winger Shikabala, back to his boyhood club after cutting short a loan spell with Ismaily, is also in line to make his first appearance with the club in years after being included in the squad.
But they will have to do without key defender Mohammed Koffi, who was largely responsible for Ahmed Gaafar's goal, and striker Bassem Morsi due to automatic suspension after being cautioned against Petrojet.
Zamalek, who have dropped seven points so far this season, are fourth of the league table on 17, five behind Maqassa who played three games more.
After taking on Maqassa, Zamalek will host second-placed Dakhleya four days later, before visiting ENPPI the following week.
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