Ahly midfielder Mohamed Abou-Treika is unlikely to play the Egyptian League opener against Haras El-Hodoud on Friday due to an injury.

The 32-year-old picked up a knee injury during the 4-0 friendly win over Alexandrian side Smouha on Monday.

“Treika will be examined and rehabbed to see if he can be ready before the Haras match,” reads a statement on the club’s official website.

The title holder’s Portuguese manager, Manuel Jose expressed his satisfaction over the team’s performance in the friendly, expecting success in the new season after exiting the Egypt Cup and African CAF Champions League tournaments last month.

“The technical staff are content over the players’ performance, especially since they applied the new 4-4-2 formation very well,” football director Sayed Abdel-Hafiz told Ahram Online.

On the other camp, the winner of the last Egypt Cup, Haras El-Hodoud’s manager, Tarek El-Ashry is enthusiastic after the 2-2 draw with Sudanese Al-Hilal on Monday.

“We learned a lot from the friendly and we are so ready for [the] Ahly match,” El-Ashry told Reuters.