On 27 September, Zamalek beat Ahly on penalties to claim the African Super Cup title.

The White Knights are going into the game on Thursday after spending three tumultuous days dealing with the detention of winger Mostafa Shalabi, midfielder Nabil ‘Dunga’ Emad, and the club’s football director, Abdel-Wahed El-Sayed in an Emirati jail following incidents that occurred during Zamalek’s win over Pyramids FC in the Super Cup semi-final on Sunday.

It is unclear how the incident began, but video footage shows an altercation between the players and security personnel.

The three White Knights were referred by prosecutors to an urgent trial on Wednesday.

Howevr, the case was postponed to 29 October and the trio were ordered remanded in detention till then.

On Monday, the club threatened to boycott the final, with the official spokesperson stating that the club management was considering the matter.

However, delegation president El-Mandouh El-Hosseiny confirmed that the club would play the final as scheduled.

“Sure, the players were affected by the incidents, but we will play the game as scheduled,” El-Mandouh El-Hosseiny told reporters on Wednesday.

“I am confident that the players, with their experience, could deal with the current situation and put the incidents behind them.”

On the other hand, team coach Jose Gomes downplayed the matter, stressing that he is fully confident that substitute players could fill the void left by the absentees.

It is not clear how Gomes will compensate for the duo's absence, especially given the poor performance of Ziad Kamal, who replaced Nabil ‘Dunga’ Emad in the midfield during the game against Pyramids FC.

Technically, Zamalek were lucky to reach the Super Cup final at the expense of Pyramids FC, who were the better side throughout the full 90 minutes.

Zamalek won the game 5-4 on penalties following a 1-1 draw in regular time.

The team’s poor performance against Pyramids FC raises many questions about their ability to secure the Egyptian Super Cup alongside the CAF Super Cup claimed in September at the expense of Ahly.

Skipper Omar Gaber, who missed the Pyramids FC clash, will be available against Ahly, which could be the only good news for Gomes and his technical staff during this troubled week.

The cold Swiss!
 

Ahly appear calmer than Zamalek, but they also showed poor form against Ceramica Cleopatra in the semis on Sunday.

Despite winning 2-1, their opponent was the better side, as all statistics except the result were in their favour.

Swiss coach Marcel Koller faced severe criticism after making some modifications to his side, opting to rest the important trio of Marwan Atteya, Hussein El-Shahat, and Wessam Abou Ali.

With the team’s poor performance during the game, Koller was forced to introduce the trio in the second half to secure the win.

Koller has been under fire since the team’s loss to Zamalek in the CAF Super Cup in September, as many fans expressed their displeasure with his management during the game, which allowed the opponent to control a significant part of the match.

“We are still early in the season,” he told the pre-match news conference on Wednesday.

“I hope judgments come at the end of it. We drew 1-1 with Zamalek last time but lost on penalties. Sports are about both winning and losing. At Ahly, we aim to win every match, but there are days when luck isn’t on our side.”

Koller will have all his players at his disposal, as everyone has been declared fit for the game except for the defensive duo of Moroccan Achraf Dari and Khaled Abdel-Fattah.

The Red Devils will be eager to avenge their CAF Super Cup defeat and add a 15th Egyptian Super Cup title.

Ahly and Zamalek faced off in the Egyptian Super Cup eight times with Ahly won six while Zamalek emerged victorious in two.

The last game between the two sides in the Egyptian Super Cup saw Ahly claim a 2-0 win over their archrivals.

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