The coach of the Djibouti-based team cited the intimidating presence of Egyptian fans in the match, which is set to take place in Cairo on Saturday, 30 September.

Speaking on an Egyptian sports TV programme on Monday, bin Eribi acknowledged anticipating that a large number of Zamalek supporters would attend the match “in full force to support their team.”

This will make the game “very difficult,” he added.

In a surprising turn of events, Arta Solar dealt a significant blow to Zamalek during the first leg with a resounding 2-0 victory on Saturday.

The match took place at the Azam Complex Stadium in Tanzania, as CAF had not registered Arta Solar Stadium in Djibouti.

Zamalek, the 2019 Confederation Cup titleholders, faced the first leg match without several key players, including Ahmed 'Zizo' Sayed and Ahmed Fatouh, who were sidelined due to injuries.

"We missed several scoring opportunities against Zamalek as football has no fixed roles. Zamalek encountered some difficulties, and we prepared meticulously to capitalize on their mistakes," bin Eribi said while reflecting on the first leg.

"Zamalek was eager to score a goal and secure a victory, while we implemented a counter-attacking strategy to find the back of the net," the Arta Solar coach added.

While celebrating their historic victory over Zamalek, bin Eribi emphasized that the team swiftly shifted their focus towards the second leg game.

"We will be a formidable opponent for Zamalek," he confidently declared.

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