Zamalek midfielder Mohamed Ashraf is controlling the ball during his side’s 0-0 draw against Baladeyet El-Mahalla in the Egyptian Premier League. Photo: Courtesy of Zamalek’s official X account.
Zamalek currently sit third in the league standings with 55 points from 33 games, three points clear of fourth-placed Masry, who have a game in hand against Ittihad of Alexandria on Sunday.
It has been a catastrophic domestic campaign for the White Knights, marked by inconsistency and setbacks.
Their recent 3-1 defeat to tenth-placed Talae El-Geish on Wednesday, the nineth loss in the season, underscored the bumpy ride Zamalek have endured this season, one they will want to forget quickly.
Adding to their woes, Zamalek fell 2-0 to archrivals and league champions Ahly in the 2022/2023 Egypt Cup final, failing to retain the title they last won in the 2020/2021 season.
The Cairo club also exited early from the 2023 Arab Club Champions Cup.
However, the season was not entirely bleak, as the Cairo side managed to clinch the CAF Confederation Cup title for the second time in the club's history under the guidance of coach Jose Gomes.
The 53-year-old Portuguese tactician is expected to field a mix of experienced and younger players to cover for the absence of key players like Ahmed "Zizo" Sayed, Omar Gaber, Mostafa Shalaby, and Ahmed Fatouh.
On the other side, already relegated Baladeyet El-Mahalla will aim to end their season on a bang by either defeating a stumbling Zamalek or holding them to a draw, replicating their earlier league game of a goalless stalemate in July.
Baladeyet El-Mahalla currently sit 16th in the standings with 27 points from 33 games.
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