Ahmed Fotouh ruled out of Zamalek’s Petrojet match through illness

Ahmed Fotouh will miss Zamalek’s Egyptian Premier League meeting with Petrojet on Monday after falling ill and being ruled unable to play.

The Zamalek coaching staff have left the defender out of the squad for the third-round fixture, following the player’s illness. Fotouh is now due to undergo medical examinations to assess his condition and establish how long he may be unavailable.

The match is scheduled to take place on Monday evening at Cairo Stadium, with Zamalek looking to build on their first win of the league campaign. The club beat National Bank of Egypt 3-0 in their previous match, having begun the season with a goalless draw against Al Ittihad Alexandria.

Fotouh has featured in midfield for Zamalek in their recent matches rather than in his usual left-back position. The Moroccan defender Mahmoud Bentayg has occupied the left-back role during that period.

His absence means Zamalek will have to prepare for the Petrojet game without a player who has been involved in the team’s opening fixtures. However, the full extent of the illness and the expected length of his absence will not be known until the medical examinations have been completed.

The decision to exclude Fotouh was taken by Zamalek’s technical staff after it became clear that he was not in a position to participate. No further details about the nature of his illness were provided.

Zamalek enter the third round with four points from their first two matches. Their campaign opened with a 0-0 draw against Al Ittihad Alexandria before they responded with a convincing victory over National Bank of Egypt.

Monday’s fixture against Petrojet will therefore provide Zamalek with an opportunity to continue that progress, although they will do so without Fotouh. The club will await the results of his medical assessment before determining when he can return to training and match action.

For now, the player’s confirmed absence is the main selection issue facing the Zamalek coaching staff ahead of the game. Fotouh’s recent deployment in midfield and Bentayg’s involvement at left-back underline the changes already made to the team, while the Moroccan remains the likely option in the left-back position for the Petrojet match.

The fixture at Cairo Stadium is the third league game of the season for Zamalek. Their latest result, a three-goal win without reply against National Bank of Egypt, followed the goalless opening-day draw and has given them a positive early platform before the meeting with Petrojet.