Ahly slumped to a surprise 1-0 defeat by Wadi Degla in the Egyptian Premier League on Saturday (Ahram)
Favourites Ahly will be looking to recover from a surprise setback and kill off the hopes of nearest challengers and holders Zamalek when they travel to Upper Egypt to face a stubborn side in Aswan in Thursday's Egyptian Premier League game.
Zamalek will be eager not to drop any points when they meet Petrojet earlier in the day, having trimmed the gap with leaders Ahly to eight points when they claimed a 2-0 victory over Ghazl El-Mahalla last Saturday.
Ahly slumped to a 1-0 defeat by Wadi Degla after conceding a last-gasp goal on Saturday despite dominating the entire game at Alexandria's Borg El-Arab Stadium.
With eight matches remaining, Ahly are still overwhelming favourites to win their ninth league title in 10 seasons but they are aware that any more slip-ups will revive the hopes of the lurking Zamalek.
Promoted Aswan, who lie 14th in the 18-team table, lost 3-1 to Ahly in December but they proved a tough nut to crack for other high-profile teams, including Zamalek.
"We are facing a physical opponent with very high fitness levels and excellent counter-attacking abilities," said Ahly's assistant coach Osama Orabi.
"They are also coached by [ex-Ahly defender] Emad El-Nahhas, who knows everything about our team. We must try and take control of the match from the very beginning."
Zamalek, whose last two games against Petrojet ended in 1-1 draws, begin life without fan favourite and regular right-back Omar Gaber, a versatile player who can also play as a central or attacking midfielder.
Gaber completed a €1.65 million move to Swiss giants Basel on Tuesday and was given an emotional send-off by Zamalek's die-hard supporters in a celebratory mood that drew a sharp rebuke from outspoken chairman Mortada Mansour.
Mansour, who brands the hardcore fans "terrorists", was unhappy that skipper and winger Mahmoud Shikabala took part in the celebrations. He originally decided to suspend him, only to backtrack a few hours later.
But Zamalek largely got used to the antics of their firebrand chairman and they are still without a permanent coach following the sudden dismissal of Scot Alex McLeish earlier this month, with Mohamed Helmi taking over on interim basis.
Zamalek will miss injured playmaker Ayman Hefni, regular goalkeeper Ahmed El-Shennawi and defender Ahmed Dweidar. Winger Mahmoud Kahraba was also left out for disciplinary reasons.
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