CAIRO: Egyptian league leaders Ahly are out to silence the skeptics when they host the in-form Masri in Cairo on Wednesday night.
The Red Devils are topping the table with a five-point lead over Petrojet, but they now face a great deal of pressure from another source; their arch-rivals Zamalek.
After finishing the first half of the season 14 points adrift of Ahly, Hossam Hassan s Zamalek have narrowed the gap to just seven points.
The Whites devastating form prompted many pundits to tip them for a title-challenge this term, amid Ahly s uncommon stumbling of late.
Ahly, who were hit by a number of injuries to key players this season, dropped seven points from their last four games, conceding in every match they ve played so far in 2010.
Nonetheless, Hossam Al-Badri possesses a star-studded frontline led by Mohamed Abou-Trika, who is poised to start against Masri after returning to full fitness.
Masri, on the other hand, are only three points off the relegation zone but are also one victory away from making the top-half of the table.
The Port-Said side are unbeaten under new manager Theo Buecker, who succeeded Anwar Salama in January.
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Long-term absentee Moataz Eno is Ahly s only player on the sidelines, while versatile midfielder Ahmed Fathi is suspended.
Al-Badri is likely to keep his faith in goalkeeper Sherif Ekrami, who is under pressure to perform after a dismal home debut against Gaish last month.
Masri miss defense duo Hani Saied and Ahmed Fawzi, in addition to winger Ibrahim Al-Hilali who has been ruled out for the rest of the season.
