A win against their archrival would be the perfect occasion for Ahly to welcome back the league trophy which was won by their archrivals in the last two seasons.

The Red Devils secured their league title on Monday after Pyramids FC lost 2-1 to Ceramica Cleopatra, which opened up an eight-point gap between Ahly and second-placed Pyramids FC with two matches remaining.

Ahly technical staff has asked players to hold their celebrations until after the Cairo derby.

The Red Devils, unbeaten in the league this season, are widely favorites to win the derby, with their strong form in comparison to their opponents, who have struggled this season on all fronts.

Ahly have the best attack in the domestic league this season with 54 goals in 29 games.

Moreover, their defense is also the strongest in the competition, having only conceded seven goals in the same number of games.

A season to remember
 

Under the guidance of Swiss coach Marcel Koller, the Red Devils have produced a solid performance this season and multiple titles.

They won two Egypt Super Cup titles, the Egypt Cup, and the CAF Champions League, and regained the Egyptian league title.

The team will play the game with nearly their full squad, with midfielder Amr El-Soulaya the only potential absentee as he is yet to recover from a muscle injury.

A season to forget
 

The White Knights have endured a catastrophic season and struggled all around.

The team has failed to win any titles in any competition and will only play in the African Confederation Cup as they are likely to finish third - if not fourth - in the domestic league this season.

However, on Thursday, the champions of the past two editions will be looking to spoil Ahly's celebrations as their hopes of advancing in the table are already dashed.

Zamalek coach Juan Carlos Osorio, who was named the team's manager last April, is yet to set a regular squad, making many modifications to his side every game.

Osorio has also played many players out of position, including international fullback Ahmed Fatouh in the heart of the midfield and defender Mostafa El-Zenarai, who played as a right-back in past games and others.

The team's frontline produced a convincing performance, scoring 49 goals, thanks to star Ahmed 'Zizo' Sayed, who has scored 12 goals and provided 13 assists.

However, their defense remains vulnerable, having conceded 30 goals in 32 games.

Theoretically speaking
 

Theoretically, Zamalek's mission against Ahly will be very challenging, but they hope to stun Ahly and hand the recently crowned champions their first league defeat in the season.

In the reverse fixture, Ahly defeated Zamalek 3-0, with a goal by Mahmoud 'Kahraba' Abdel-Moneim and two by Mohamed Sherif - and both players are available for the match-up on Thursday.

Ahly also defeated Zamalek 2-0 in the Egyptian Super Cup last October.

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