Ahly Coach El-Badry (Photo: alahlyegypt.com)
Ahly coach Hossam El-Badry has stressed the importance of Thursday's Cairo derby against archrivals Zamalek, saying he has big goals for the Reds' confrontation with the Whites.
"I have big targets to reach in the Zamalek match. The most important one is to continue our fine run since the season's start to set new records," El-Badry was quoted as saying by the club's official website on Tuesday.
Ahly, who secured the league title for the third time in a row with six matches to spare last month, set a record of the most goals scored in one season in the Egyptian Premier League after beating Petrojet 2-1 on Sunday.
The Red Devils also set another record for most wins in a season after claiming their 27th victory.
"I respect Zamalek's team a lot and despite the early deciding of the title, the derby remains important for the fans," added the 58-year old El-Badry.
"We try to get a morale boost from the Zamalek match to help us in the coming challenges in both the Egypt Cup and the African Champions League," he said.
"I hope that all my players will be ready physically and technically for the game, which we need to win. The chance is available for all of them to prove their worth against Zamalek," the coach concluded.
In preparation for the game, Ahly will start a closed camp for all players on Tuesday under El-Badry's guidance.
With only two matches remaining before the end of the season (the other against Masry), Ahly are top with 85 points, a massive 21-point lead ahead of second-placed Ismaily.
Ahly need just two points from their remaining games to achieve the biggest point tally in the competition's history.
That record is currently held by rivals Zamalek, who collected 87 points in the 2014-15 season.
Zamalek are currently third in the league table with 58 points.
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