CAIRO: Ismaili have no option but to try out alternative forwards when they face US Stade Tamponnaise in the first-leg of the Champions League round of 32 on Saturday.
The Dervishes are far from consistent in the Egyptian Premier League, with injuries and suspensions hitting their already-depleted squad.
They will have to do without several key players when they take on Reunion Island s Tamponnaise away from home as they seek to book a last-16 berth to edge closer to a place in the group stage.
We are short in attack, Ismaili assistant coach Mahmoud Gaber told FilGoal.com on Thursday.
We have many absentees but I believe that we will be capable of overcoming this problem, which we faced numerous times before.
Attacking midfielders Omar Gamal and Abdullah Saied, who are responsible for feeding strikers, have been ruled out of the game due to injuries.
Ahmed Ali, the team s top scorer in the league with five goals, will also miss out through suspension.
Mohamed Mohsen Abou-Greisha, who has been confined to the bench this season, is likely to be deployed as a lone striker despite failing to impress in the domestic competition.
We don t know much about our opposition but their attacking line seems strong. They scored five goals in their last two games.
