Al Ahly explain Emam Ashour and three others’ absence against Modern Sport

Al Ahly football director Wael Gomaa has explained why Emam Ashour, Mohamed Hany, Ahmed Reda and Yasser Ibrahim were left out of the squad for the Egyptian Premier League match against Modern Sport.

Al Ahly face Modern Sport at Cairo Stadium at 17:00 in the eighth round of the competition. Head coach Hussein Ammouta named a 24-player squad for the match, with the four players missing from the selection.

Speaking to FilGoal.com, Gomaa said: “The exclusion of Emam Ashour, Mohamed Hany and Ahmed Reda is for technical reasons.”

He added: “Yasser Ibrahim is absent because he has not fully recovered.”

Four players from Al Ahly’s youth ranks have been included in the squad: Mohamed Abdallah, Mohamed Raafat, Omar Moawad and Mahmoud Salah.

The full Al Ahly squad is:

Goalkeepers: Mohamed El Shenawy, Mostafa Shobeir, Hamza Alaa.

Defenders: Yassin Marei, Achraf Dari, Ahmed Eid, Hady Riyad, Akram Tawfik, Tawfik Mohamed, Karim Fouad, Ahmed Nabil Kouka.

Midfielders: Marwan Attia, Omar El Saai, Taher Mohamed, Hussein El Shahat, Mohamed Magdy Afsha, Omar Moawad, Mahmoud Salah.

Forwards: Sofiane Benjedida, Moncef Bekrar, Achraf Bencharki, Ahmed Zizo, Mohamed Abdallah, Mohamed Raafat.

Al Ahly are second in the Egyptian Premier League table with 17 points, four points behind leaders Pyramids.

The club have also been drawn in Group A of the CAF Confederation Cup group stage. Their opponents are Moroccan side Raja, Angolan club Primeiro de Agosto and Togo’s Ismaily? Wait source says اسكو كارا = ASKO Kara, not Ismaily. Need correct: ASKO Kara, champions of Togo.

Al Ahly secured their place in the group stage by beating Uganda’s Kitara 4-0.