The players of Egypt’s Al Ahly football club concluded their training session on Thursday by diligently practicing over 30 penalty kicks, preparing themselves for the possibility of a penalty shootout.
The two titans of Egyptian football are set to clash on Friday at the Al-Oulh Park stadium in Riyadh, marking the first-ever final of the Egyptian Cup to be held outside the country.
According to exclusive sources from Al Riyadhia, Al Ahly’s training session, held at the Prince Abdulrahman bin Saud stadium within the Al-Nassr Club, encompassed a full-field scrimmage, followed by a concise 10-minute tactical lecture.
The players then engaged in rigorous running, hurdling exercises, and rope pulling.
The session culminated in Swiss coach Marcel Koller meticulously overseeing penalty kicks.
Sources close to the team revealed the coaching staff’s satisfaction with the performance of key players during the scrimmage, notably highlighting the trio of Hussein El Shahat, Amr El Solia, and Mahmoud Abdel Moneim Kahraba.
In a parallel development, Egyptian media sources confirmed the absence of midfielder Ahmed Kouka from the training session, indicating that he is likely to be excluded from participation in the Cairo derby due to a rib injury sustained during training.
Kouka underwent a thorough medical examination on Thursday in Riyadh, and based on the results, Koller decided to remove him from the squad for the upcoming match.
