Al Ahly missing 13 players for ZED match as Wael Gomaa explains absences

Al Ahly will be without 13 players for their Egyptian Premier League meeting with ZED on Friday, with football director Wael Gomaa outlining the reasons behind each absence to FilGoal.com.

Houcine Ammouta has announced Al Ahly’s squad for the second-round fixture, which is scheduled to begin at 20:00 local time on Friday.

The list of unavailable players includes Mohamed Magdy “Afsha”, who is experiencing pain in his adductor muscle, while Karim El Debes has been ruled out with a hamstring injury.

Akram Tawfik is also absent after suffering a severe knock.

The remaining players have not been included because they are not yet considered ready from either a technical or physical perspective. That group consists of Emam Ashour, Tawfik Mohamed, Ahmed Eid, Ahmed Khaled “Kebaka”, Omar Sayed Moawad, Mohamed Abdallah, Mohamed Raafat, Achraf Dari, Reda Slim and Mahmoud Salah.

The scale of the absences means Al Ahly will face ZED with a significantly reduced group available to Ammouta, although the club’s squad announcement also contained some positive news.

Yassin Marei, Ahmed Reda and Omar El Saai have all been included for the first time.

Al Ahly began the season with a 3-2 victory over Eastern Company ENPPI. ZED, meanwhile, started their league campaign with a goalless draw against Wadi Degla.

The match will be refereed by Mohamed Maarouf, who will be taking charge of his first game of the season.

The fixture is Al Ahly’s second league match of the campaign, and the club will be aiming to build on their opening victory despite the long list of unavailable players. ZED will be looking for their first win after being held to a 0-0 draw in their opening match.

Wael Gomaa’s explanation confirmed that the absences are the result of a combination of injury concerns and players still working towards full technical and physical readiness. Afsha’s adductor pain and El Debes’ hamstring problem are the two injury-related issues specifically identified, while Tawfik’s absence follows a severe knock.

The other omissions relate to fitness and readiness rather than a separate injury being named. Emam Ashour, Tawfik Mohamed, Ahmed Eid, Ahmed Khaled “Kebaka”, Omar Sayed Moawad, Mohamed Abdallah, Mohamed Raafat, Achraf Dari, Reda Slim and Mahmoud Salah are all unavailable for that reason.

With three players entering the squad for the first time, Ammouta has nevertheless added fresh options ahead of a match that will be overseen by Mohamed Maarouf, who is making his first refereeing appearance of the season.