Al Ahly to face Ahly Benghazi in friendly as Hussein Ammouta prepares squad

Al Ahly head coach Hussein Ammouta has arranged a friendly match against Libya’s Ahly Benghazi on Thursday evening, with the game intended to give playing time to members of his squad who were not involved in the league fixture against Al Mokawloon Al Arab.

The match will be played at Al Ahly’s Al-Tetsh Stadium at the club’s headquarters in Gezira. Kick-off is scheduled for 17:30 local time.

Al Ahly will use the fixture to assess players who were left out of the squad for the Egyptian Premier League meeting with Al Mokawloon Al Arab. The friendly provides those players with an opportunity to take part in competitive football while the club’s wider squad continues its preparations.

The decision comes after Al Ahly drew 1-1 with Al Mokawloon Al Arab in the fourth round of the Egyptian Premier League. That match was held at Al-Gabal Al-Akhdar Stadium.

The result represented Al Ahly’s first setback of the league campaign. The champions collected one point from the match, taking their total to 10 points after four games.

That tally leaves Al Ahly level with Zamalek on 10 points. However, the dropped points also allowed Pyramids FC to move clear at the top of the table.

Pyramids FC now lead the Egyptian Premier League on their own with 12 points. Al Mokawloon Al Arab, meanwhile, took their total to four points and sit 13th in the standings.

Thursday’s meeting with Ahly Benghazi therefore has a specific squad-management purpose for Al Ahly, rather than serving as another league contest. The club will focus on players who did not feature against Al Mokawloon Al Arab, with the game taking place at its own training-ground stadium in Gezira.

For Ahly Benghazi, the fixture represents an opportunity to face one of Egypt’s leading clubs in a match hosted at Al Ahly’s Al-Tetsh Stadium. The game will begin at 17:30, with the focus on providing the Al Ahly players outside the previous league squad with valuable match practice.

The friendly follows a round in which Al Ahly were held to a draw, Zamalek remained level with them on points and Pyramids FC moved into sole possession of first place. Al Mokawloon Al Arab’s point from the match took them to four points and left them 13th in the table.