Zamalek coach Ahmed Abdel-Raouf during a previous press conference (Photo: Zamalek's official Twitter account)
The Cairo giants host Zambia’s ZESCO United on Sunday in the first round of the Confederation Cup group stage.
“Zamalek is in a difficult group, as every team is a big name in Africa. Zamalek is a big team that wants to deliver a strong performance in the tournament,” Abdel-Raouf said at the pre-match press conference on Saturday.
“We will play every game only to win and reflect Zamalek’s status. Zamalek players are experienced enough to deal with any pressures,” he added.
On 24 October, Zamalek built on their dominant 6–0 first-leg victory over Somalia’s Dekedaha, claiming a narrow 1–0 win in the second leg to secure a 7–0 aggregate and reach the group stage.
The Whites, who were eliminated in last year’s quarter-final, were drawn in Group D alongside Egypt’s Masry, South Africa’s Kaizer Chiefs, and Zambia’s ZESCO United.
Abdel-Raouf blamed the intensive match schedule for the recent spate of injuries, but said the technical staff is ready to manage the situation against ZESCO.
“We only want some patience in evaluating local coaches,” he concluded.
Zamalek visit Kaizer Chiefs in South Africa on 30 November before facing Masry in the third round at Alexandria’s Borg El-Arab Stadium on 25 January.
They will meet Masry again in Alexandria on 1 February, travel to Zambia to face ZESCO on 8 February, and conclude the group stage by hosting Kaizer Chiefs in Cairo on 15 February.
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