Preview: Ahly missing key players ahead of crucial Talae El-Gaish game

Mahmoud Sheleib , Monday 16 Aug 2021

The Reds have dropped precious points after being held to a 1-1 draw by Ismaily last week, falling two points behind Zamalek and placing themselves in a position where they cannot afford anymore stumbles

Ahly

Title holders Ahly will be without some of their most influential players when they take on mid-tabled Talae El-Gaish on Tuesday in the final and crucial turn of the race for the Premier League title. 

The Reds have dropped precious points after being held to a 1-1 draw by Ismaily last week, falling two points behind Zamalek and placing themselves in a position where they cannot afford anymore stumbles.

“We have only ourselves to blame, I won’t present any excuses. We have dropped a lot of points and now we must focus on the remaining games and wait for the results to play in our favour,” Ahly’s football director Sayed Abdel-Hafiz said after Enppi’s game on Saturday.

However, coach Pitso Mosimane will be deprived from his deadliest weapon this season, as star striker Mohamed Sherif, the league’s leading scorer and the team’s ideal striker, will be missing due to an injury for the second game in a row.

Influential midfielder Amr El Sulaya is also serving an automatic suspension after collecting his third yellow card against Enppi, while Moroccan defender Badr Benoun — who has marshalled the defense since the beginning of the season — is yet to return to the pitch after a spell on the sidelines due to a COVID-19 infection.

Ahly are currently in second place with 68 points, while Talae El-Gaish are in eighth place with 38 points.

The squad list, which witnessed the return of striker Marwan Mohsen, is as follows:

Goalkeepers: Mohamed El-Shennawi, Ali Lotfi, Hamza Methlouthi.

Defenders: Mahmoud Wahid, Ahmed ‘Beckham’ Ramadan, Rami Rabea, Ayman Ashraf, Ali Maaloul, Mohamed Hany, Yasser Ibrahim.

Midfielders: Aliou Deing, Hamdy Fathi, Ahmed ‘Kouka’ Nabil, Mohamed ‘Afsha’ Magdi, Akram Tawfik, Junior Ajayi, Mahmoud ‘Kahraba’ Abdel-Moneim, Hussein El-Shahat, Taher Mohamed.

Strikers: Walter Bwalya, Salah Mohsen, Marwan Mohsen.

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