Cairo giants Al Ahly are set to play Al Ittihad Alexandria, on Thursday, in the twentieth gameweek of the Egyptian Premier League.
The clash is set for 21.30 (Cairo time), and will be held at the Alexandria Stadium.
Al Ahly’s South African coach Pitso Mosimane seeks to reconcile with the team’s fans after the club’s previous poor performance against Ghazl El Mahalla which saw the Red Devils lose 0-1.
This defeat was not related to absences due to injury, as the Al Ahly squad includes many players who are among the best players in Egyptian football at the present time.
The team’s players also failed to take advantage of the big technical difference between them and the Ghazl El Mahalla players. They were unable to properly finish their attacks to reach their opponent’s goal, as Ghazl El Mahalla’s goalkeeper Amr Shaaban managed to keep a clean sheet.
Mosimane was keen to hold a decisive session with his team’s stars, on Wednesday, on the sidelines of the team’s final training session. The South African stressed that he feels he is entering a dangerous stage, and that his standing with Al Ahly have become tenuous.
This is especially since the team sees that he has not provided the usual level, in light of the team’s lacklustre performance in the recent period.
Al Ahly’s Board of Directors, headed by Mahmoud Al-Khatib, did not receive the poor results of the team recently with a completely open mind. Rather, the team’s management has decided to impose immediate penalties on the players.
Earlier, Mosimane said he would join Al Ahly, hoping to make great achievements with the largest club in the continent, due to what he achieved during the last short period. Al Ahly have won the CAF Champions League, the Egypt Cup, and the Club World Cup bronze in a short period under its South African coach.
But after the recent disappointing results for the team, Mosimane may find himself threatened with losing his position if the poor results continue.
The matches in the coming period will be decisive for the South African coach’s future, despite Al Ahly’s repeated assertion that Mosimane will continue for the longest period, regardless of the results in the next stage.
Al Ahly occupy second place with 37 points, while Al-Ittihad Alexandria are in fifth place on the league table with 29 points.
