Zamalek beat Ittihad of Alexandria 1-0 in their previous league game (Ahram)
Zamalek are not ready yet to throw in the towel, their caretaker coach said ahead of Sunday's Egyptian Premier League match against Maqassa which they must win to keep alive their slim hopes of retaining their title.
The Cairo giants have won four straight matches since interim coach Mohamed Helmi took over early this month following the dismissal of Scottish boss Alex McLeish, under whom the gap with league leaders Ahly had increased to 11 points.
The gap is now eight but it remains too big for Zamalek to bridge it, given that there are only six matches remaining before the end of the season.
But Helmi is adamant his side still have a chance to cause an upset in the latter stages of the season.
"We are not giving up, there are still many precious points to play for," he told reporters.
Zamalek will miss playmaker Mohamed Ibrahim, who has produced some fine displays lately, due to injury and defenders Ahmed Dweidar and attacking midfielder Ayman Hefni remain doubtful.
Maqassa made a fine start to their league campaign but a recent poor run saw them fall to eighth place in the table.
They also waved goobye to the African Confederation Cup on the away goal rule last Wednesday following a 1-1 aggregate draw with Libya's Ahly Tripoli in the round of 16.
However, they can take heart from their last two league outings which saw them beat Ismaily and Dakhleya.
"We will give our best against Zamalek," said their rookie coach Ihab Galal.
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