The White Knights began their campaign with a narrow 1-0 home win over Zambia's ZESCO United last Sunday, placing them second in Group D behind leaders, fellow Egyptian side Masry, who maintained their top spot with a thrilling 3-2 victory over the Zambian side.
The Cairo-based club enter Saturday's encounter with an increasingly depleted squad, missing influential midfield trio Abdallah El-Said, Nabil 'Dunga' Emad, and Ahmed Rabie, alongside several other players for various reasons.
Zamalek's interim coach Ahmed Abdel-Raouf expressed confidence in his available players to compensate for the absentees. "The absence of Abdallah El-Said and Nabil Emad affects the team, but Zamalek have high-quality players of the same caliber, and the current squad is capable of compensating for any absences," Abdel-Raouf told reporters on Friday.
"We are facing many challenges, particularly following the local Super Cup. Against ZESCO, we failed to convert our opportunities efficiently and won by just one goal. We made some errors that we are working to correct, but the priority was securing the three points," he added.
The Egyptian giants, the five-time CAF Champions League and two-time Confederation Cup winners, will be looking to overcome the intimidating atmosphere created by the hosts' home crowd.
Kaizer Chiefs, meanwhile, seek their first points and pouncing back from their opening setback in the competition, as they fell to a 2-1 defeat to Masry last Sunday.
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