
Zamalek lost 2-0 to Smouha in their previous Egyptian Premier League game (Ahram)
The Cairo giants parted way with French coach Carteron by mutual consent on Monday after a poor recent run of two draws and a defeat in the African Champions League as well as a 2-0 loss to Smouha in the domestic league.
They trail league leaders and perennial Cairo rivals Ahly by six points and they can ill-afford to lose more ground if they are to keep alive their chances of winning a second consecutive league title.
Against Future, Zamalek will be led by their ex-striker Osama Nabih, who was one of the assistants to Argentinean coach Hector Cuper during his stint in charge of the Egyptian national team from 2015-18.
Zamalek's official website quoted Nabih as telling his players that they must do their best "to get the team back on track to compete for all honours."
The White Knights are still struggling to make up for the absence of midfield linchpin Tarek Hamed, who has just returned to training after recovering from a nagging knee complaint.
He is still short of match fitness and is unlikely to feature against Future, leaving Nabih with a selection problem as no other midfielder has managed to fill the gap left by the rock-solid defensive midfielder.
Future are expected to prove a tough nut to crack, given that they held Ahly to a 1-1 draw in December -- the only time the Red Devils had dropped points so far this season.
They lie sixth in the table with 15 points from 10 matches.
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