Al Ahly enters the 2026-2027 season searching for its identity after last year’s near-empty trophy cabinet, save for the Super Cup, and is seeking a more successful experience under the guidance of Hossam El Moutawakel.
Al Ahly opens its Premier League campaign with a match against Sharqia Enppi, hoping to present a positive image that gives fans hope of returning to the podium in major tournaments under the leadership of Moroccan coach Hossam El Moutawakel.
In these lines, we highlight several questions that Hossam El Moutawakel will answer during today’s Sunday match, his first official appearance with the team.
Has Al Ahly’s defensive level improved?
Al Ahly suffered significantly defensively last season, conceding a large number of goals despite displaying a good attacking level.
Al Ahly conceded 24 goals in 26 league matches last season, a very high rate that made them the third-highest goal-conceding team in the title-winning group.
During the pre-season preparation period before the start of the new season, Al Ahly kept a clean sheet in only one match, a 2-0 victory over Petroleum Asyut. This is a poor indicator, but it cannot be considered in isolation without judging the team’s performance in official matches.
Al Ahly did not invest heavily in the defensive line during the current summer, as they only signed left-back Tawfik Mohamed from El Mansoura Petrojet, following the injury to Moroccan player Youssef Belamri.
Will they maintain Al Ahly’s attacking mentality?
The most prominent question raised after signing El Moutawakel is his ability to preserve Al Ahly’s attacking identity, especially after the team’s performance in the Joan Gamper Trophy match against Barcelona.
Al Ahly relied purely on defense against Barcelona, which is logically not applicable in the league, as Al Ahly is always the team that initiates attacks at the domestic level.
Al Ahly reinforced its attacking line with a large number of offensive players, led by Mansa Bakkal, Sofiane Benjedida, and Qatai Abdullah.
How will Al Ahly compensate for the departure of Dieng and Ben Ramdhan?
Compensating for the departure of Dieng was one of the main questions on the agenda of Al Ahly’s transfer management throughout the summer transfer window, before the team settled for its current squad without signing any foreigners in the midfield.
Alassane Dieng left Al Ahly after his contract with the team expired, before the club decided to sell Mohamed Ali Ben Ramdhan’s contract to Al-Shamal Qatar following a season that was not good at all in the red shirt.
In the defensive midfield, Al Ahly settled for signing Akram Tawfik, who is returning after a season with Al-Shamal Qatar, in addition to Ali Mahmoud, who came from Enppi and plays in the number 8 position.
What will the North African attack add to Al Ahly?
Al Ahly has a squad of foreign players this season who all come from the Maghreb region, having signed Moroccan Sofiane Benjedida, in addition to Algerian Mansa Bakkal.
Al Ahly also added Reda Salim and Ashraf Dary to the team’s squad, alongside Ashraf Ben Sharqi, who has been with Al Ahly since January 2025.
The cultural proximity with players from the Maghreb region may offer a greater opportunity for the players to adapt and understand each other quickly on the pitch, which will be largely evident in today’s match against Sharqia Enppi.
