Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Thorup confirmed that Zizo sustained a hamstring strain during Ahly’s 1–1 league draw with National Bank of Egypt in Round 17, ruling the influential winger out of the trip to Algeria.
“Our focus is on the players who are currently with us in Algeria,” Thorup said. “I’m sad about Zizo’s injury and losing an influential player like him. I wish him a speedy recovery and a quick return in even better shape.”
Thorup added that the rest of the squad are fit. “All the players are fully fit and ready for the match,” he said.
Ahly face JS Kabylie at 9pm Cairo time on Saturday at the Hocine Aït Ahmed Stadium in Round Five of Group B of the CAF Champions League.
The Egyptian champions currently top Group B with eight points and could secure qualification for the quarter-finals with a draw, depending on the result of the other group match.
Despite Ahly’s position at the summit, Thorup warned against complacency. “Leading the group will not deter the players from giving their maximum effort to win and remain at the top,” he said. “Despite JS Kabylie having only two points, the points tally does not reflect the opponent’s strength or the difficulty of the match.”
Thorup highlighted the challenge of a congested schedule. “I’m looking forward to the JS Kabylie match given the tight schedule and congested fixtures at the moment. Ahly players spend more time on flights than they do in their homes,” he said.
He also acknowledged the expected atmosphere in Algeria. “I fully understand the difficulty of the expected atmosphere in tomorrow’s match. There are no easy games; all four teams in the group are competing fiercely,” Thorup said, adding that pressure is part of life at Ahly. “We are aware of the pressure on us and that we are always expected to win every match, which is normal in football. But we must handle the pressure properly and focus solely on the next game.”
In the other Group B fixture, Young Africans of Tanzania meet AS FAR of Morocco, with both sides level on five points. JS Kabylie are bottom of the group with two points.
Thorup named a 23-man squad for the Algeria trip, welcoming back Yasser Ibrahim and Mohamed Sherif.
Ahly squad:
Goalkeepers: Mohamed El-Shenawy, Mostafa Shobeir, Hamza Alaa.
Defenders: Mohamed Hany, Yassin Marei, Ahmed Ramadan, Yasser Ibrahim, Youssef Belammari, Ahmed Eid, Amr El-Gazzar, Karim Fouad, Mohamed Shokry, Ahmed Nabil “Koka”.
Midfielders: Mohamed Ben Romdhane, Marwan Attia, Aliou Dieng, Taher Mohamed, Hussein El-Shahat.
Forwards: Ieltsin Camoes, Marwan Osman, Mohamed Sherif, Mahmoud Trezeguet, Achraf Bencharki.
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