Ammouta warns Al Ahly of Pyramids pressure after Egypt Cup victory

Hussein Ammouta says Al Ahly will face significant pressure to beat Pyramids in their next match, after securing a place in the last 16 of the Egypt Cup with a 3-0 win over El Sekka El Hadid.

Al Ahly were convincing winners in the last-32 tie at Cairo International Stadium, with Ahmed Sayed “Zizo” scoring twice and Omar El Saai completing the victory.

“The pressure will be on us in the match against Pyramids, and the team is required to win that game,” Al Ahly manager Ammouta said.

“I trust that we will produce a heroic performance against Pyramids.”

Ammouta was also asked about his squad selection and said the size of the group made it impossible to give every player regular involvement across all competitions.

“We played with intensity from the first minute because we wanted to win, and that is what happened,” he said.

“We missed several chances before scoring the opening goal. We should have scored within the first 10 minutes.”

He added: “We have a large number of players and it is difficult for everyone to play, but we gave the opportunity to as many players as possible.”

Rida Slim did not begin the season with Al Ahly and is still being prepared before returning to competitive action.

“Rida Slim did not start the season with Al Ahly and we are working to get him ready so that he can have an opportunity as soon as possible,” Ammouta said.

The manager also explained why Oktay Abdullah was omitted from the squad for the cup match.

“Oktay Abdullah had been suffering from an injury and returned to the team only a few days ago. To avoid any surprises, I preferred to leave him out of the matchday squad,” he said.

Ammouta referred to Al Ahly’s recent league form, saying they had failed to start their match against Al Mokawloon in the right manner and lost two points.

“Against Canal, however, the team showed character, came back into the game and managed to draw,” he said.

He praised Monsef Bekrar’s overall contribution, despite the demands placed on forwards to score.

“Monsef Bekrar is an outstanding player, which is why we signed him,” Ammouta said. “In modern football, everyone is expected to score. A striker can provide an assist or create space for a team-mate to score.”

Ammouta also highlighted the defensive work of Al Ahly’s midfielders and forwards, as well as the goalkeeping performances of Mostafa Shobeir and Mohamed El Shenawy.

“We must praise the midfielders and attackers for their efforts defensively,” he said. “We must also praise Mostafa Shobeir for his excellent performance and for saving a penalty against Modern, as well as Mohamed El Shenawy, who performed well against El Sekka El Hadid.”

Al Ahly will face the winner of the Montakhab El-Suez-Petrojet tie or Delfi in the last 16.