Amouta names Al Ahly XI with Bencharki and Bekrar starting against El Sharqia Enppi

Moroccan manager Hussein Amouta has left Al Ahly goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy and striker Sofiane Bendjedid on the bench for Sunday’s Egyptian Premier League opener against El Sharqia Enppi at Cairo International Stadium.

Al Ahly are aiming to recover from losing the league title last season and have targeted victory in their first match as they begin their campaign. A win would give them three points and provide a strong start to their attempt to regain the competition.

Amouta’s selection includes several notable decisions. Veteran goalkeeper El Shenawy is among the substitutes, while Bendjedid, the Moroccan forward, has also been left out of the starting XI.

Algerian forward Moncef Bekrar has been chosen to start. Karim Fouad will operate at left-back, while Ahmed Mostafa “Zizo” has been selected in midfield.

Al Ahly’s starting line-up is:

Goalkeeper: Mostafa Shobeir

Defenders: Karim Fouad, Amr El-Gazar, Hady Riad, Mohamed Hany

Midfielders: Ahmed Nabil Kouka, Marwan Attia, Ahmed Mostafa “Zizo”

Forwards: Achraf Bencharki, Moncef Bekrar, Taher Mohamed Taher

The club published the team news ahead of the match with the message: “📋 Our team formation for the match against El Sharqia Enppi in the league 🦅 #YallaYaAhly”.

El Shenawy and Bendjedid are joined on the Al Ahly bench by Yasser Ibrahim, Akram Tawfik, Hussein El Shahat, Mohamed Magdy “Afsha”, Ali Mahmoud, Oktay Abdullah and Karim El-Debes.

The line-up means Amouta has opted for Mostafa Shobeir in goal, with Mohamed Hany included on the right side of the defence. Fouad’s selection at left-back is another of the changes highlighted before kick-off.

El Sharqia Enppi manager Mohamed Barakat has also announced his team for the fixture. His selection includes Mahmoud Abdel Moneim “Kahraba”, the former Al Ahly star, in attack.

El Sharqia Enppi will start with:

Goalkeeper: Abdel Rahman Samir

Defenders: Hazem Tamasah, Seif El-Khashab, Ahmed Kalousha, Mohamed Hamdy

Midfielders: Ahmed Ismail, Mohamed Essam, Ali Ehab

Forwards: Ahmed Nader Hawas, Mahmoud Abdel Moneim “Kahraba”, Emad Mayhoub

The match at Cairo International Stadium is the first league fixture of the season for both sides. Al Ahly’s focus is on making an immediate response after last season’s failure to retain the Egyptian Premier League title, while El Sharqia Enppi will attempt to begin the competition with a positive result against the reigning Egyptian giants.