Zamalek and Al-Ahly... Cairo derby under the pressure of crises

Al-Ahly does not look much better off, as it is still affected by the last season which it finished in third place, causing it to miss the CAF Champions League this season for the first time in more than two decades.

Zamalek and Al-Ahly are tied in the competition's standings with 13 points each, as each of them achieved 4 wins and a single draw, occupying the second and third places respectively, two points behind the leaders Pyramids who have a 100% record.

Zamalek surpasses its rival on goal difference, having scored 8 goals and conceded one, while Al-Ahly scored 9 goals and conceded 3.

The technical situation of the two teams appears similarly matched, as Motamed Gamal continued at the helm of Zamalek's technical staff after winning the league title last season.

Despite Gamal's announcement that he would leave after the season, the failure of Zamalek's management to bring in a foreign coach brought him back to the leadership seat once again to allow the white team to continue its good results with him.

Despite the positive results after Gamal's retention, a state of dissatisfaction prevails among a large number of the club's fans regarding the team's technical condition.

Gamal relies on the remarkable brilliance of his goalkeeper Mahdi Soliman, whose net has conceded only a single goal from a penalty kick in five matches, in addition to the brilliance of Palestinian Oday Dabbagh and striker Hossam Ashraf.

Zamalek will be missing the duo Mohamed El-Sayed and Amr Nasser in the summit due to injury. Gamal preferred to rest his entire team and play the League Cup match against ZED on Wednesday with the youth team, incurring a 3-0 defeat.

Al-Ahly fans are unsatisfied

For his part, the beginning of Moroccan Hussein Ammouta's tenure at the head of Al-Ahly's technical staff was good in terms of results, but the "Red" fans are still dissatisfied with the performance.

Their anger flared up after the draw with El Mokawloon El Arab in the fourth round. However, Al-Ahly's management affirmed its support for Ammouta and its confidence in his technical management of the team on more than one occasion.

Ammouta hopes that his compatriot Achraf Bencharki will continue his brilliance in leading the attack, along with playmaker Emam Ashour regaining his fitness after a long period of absence, while Moroccan Soufiane Benjdida is expected to start in the centre-forward position.

Al-Ahly will miss central defenders Yasser Ibrahim and Amr El-Gazzar due to injury, while a third Moroccan, Achraf Dari, may appear in defense after making his first appearance this season in the victory over Petrojet in the League Cup.

Al-Ahly had won both home and away league matches last season 2-1 and 3-0.

It also decided the encounter that brought the two teams together in the Egyptian Super Cup with a 2-0 result. However, the Red team settled for third place in the league, which was won by Zamalek for the 15th time in its history.

Al-Ahli has the upper hand in direct league encounters, having achieved 52 victories compared to 29 for Zamalek, while 51 matches ended in a draw.

Al-Ahli has scored 163 goals compared to 113 for Zamalek.

The match will be officiated by Slovenian Rade Obrenovič, after Al-Ahli bore the cost of bringing in a foreign refereeing crew for the match, whose tickets completely sold out as soon as they went on sale.

Slovenian Rade Obrenovič will officiate the match after Al-Ahly bore the cost of bringing in a foreign refereeing crew for the match, whose tickets sold out completely as soon as they went on sale.