Al Ahly faces Zed at 8:00 PM today, Friday, in a match for the second round of the Egyptian Premier League, seeking to continue their winning streak.
Al Ahly turned around their deficit against Sharqia Enppi to secure a 3-2 victory in the first round, after struggling significantly during the first half, before clinching the match by a narrow margin in the final minutes.
Below are five challenges facing Al Ahly against Zed in the second-round match:
The skill of the "Messi" duo
Zed Club's attack is characterized by individual skills, particularly on the flanks, given the presence of the duo Mostafa Saad "Messi" and Ahmed Adel "Messi".
Although the duo did not display a strong attacking performance during the first-round match of the Egyptian Premier League, both are well aware of how to deal with Al Ahly's defense based on their previous encounters with the team.
Mostafa Saad managed to score Zed's goal against Al Ahly during the teams' encounter last season.
The search for the first win against Mohamed Shoukry
Mohamed Shoukry has played only one match against Al Ahly, which took place last season when he was also in charge of Zed Club.
Shoukry managed to snatch a point from Al Ahly in a match that ended in a 1-1 draw, with his team taking the lead before Terzic equalized in the 89th minute.
A defense that struggled against Sharqia Enppi
Defensive performance is one of the biggest challenges facing Al Ahly, a fact that was clearly evident during the Sharqia Enppi match in the first round.
Despite Al Ahly holding 72% possession during the first half, Sharqia Enppi managed to score two goals and miss a penalty kick.
Sharqia Enppi made only 18 passes, shots, and crosses within the attacking third, opposite Al Ahly's defensive third, but this was enough to break down the Red team's defense.
The search for a goal-scoring striker
Al Ahly is still searching for a goal-scoring striker in their lineup, as their three goals against Sharqia Enppi were scored by Marwan Attia, Ahmed Sayed "Zizo", and Mohamed Magdy "Afsha".
Hossam Amouta started the match by relying on Algerian Mansouf Bkara in the striker position, despite his natural position being winger, before bringing in Moroccan Sofiane Benguedda.
Al Ahly has yet to settle on their main striker since the departure of Palestinian Wessam Abu Ali last season.
Positions awaiting a starter
Al Ahly is struggling at the left-back position, relying primarily on Karim Fawda during the first match against Sharqia Enppi.
The injury to Moroccan Youssef Belamri, who suffered a cruciate ligament tear, has caused a crisis within Al Ahly's ranks, and it is expected that Karim El-Dibis and Ahmed Nabil "Koka" will be given opportunities in the coming period to try to compensate for his absence.
The second position that is still awaiting a player capable of fully performing his role is the central midfield spot alongside Marwan Attia; Al Ahly, following the departures of Mohamed Ali Ben Ramdane and Ayo Djalo, has settled for the return of Akram Tawfik and the signing of Ali Mahmoud from Enppi, in addition to the return of Omar Saady and Ahmed Reda after the end of their loans.
