The Cairo giants briefly climbed to the summit for the first time this season with 21 points after a narrow 2-1 victory over Ittihad of Alexandria last Wednesday, marking a winning domestic debut for new coach Jess Thorup.
The Danish coach, however, stressed he was not satisfied with their side's performance despite the win.
“I’m very happy with my winning debut, but I’m not satisfied with the performance,” Thorup told reporters after the game.
"I’ve only led the team for two matches. It’s too early to expect a big impact. We play every three days, and that puts a lot of pressure on the players," he added.
Ahly’s stay at the top proved brief, as second-placed Ceramica Cleopatra secured a 1-0 victory over Kahraba Ismailia on Sunday to move clear on 23 points.
The Red Devils made a faltering start to their title defence, drawing three and losing one of their opening nine fixtures, a sequence that prompted the sacking of Spanish coach Jose Riveiro, with Emad El-Nahhas serving as interim boss before Thorup’s arrival earlier this month.
Ahly head into the clash in high spirits after sealing a CAF Champions League group-stage berth with a 1-0 second-leg win over Burundi’s Aigle Noir on Saturday (2-0 aggregate), stretching their winning run to seven matches across all competitions.
However, Thorup will be without several key players due to injury, including attacking duo Mohamed Sherif and Hussein El-Shahat, as well as the suspended duo Marwan Attia and Ahmed ‘Koka’ Nabil.
Meanwhile, Petrojet have endured a difficult campaign, amassing 14 points from 10 games to sit 14th in the standings.
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