Omar Gaber: Zamalek focused on Rwandan Army after Al Ahly defeat

Zamalek captain Omar Gaber says his side are determined to show their character when they face Rwandan Army in the first leg of their CAF Champions League round-of-32 tie on Friday.

The Egyptian club travel to Rwanda for the match, which is scheduled to kick off at 19:00.

“We have come here to win,” Gaber told Rwanda’s New Times. “We respect Rwandan Army, but Zamalek are a big club with big ambitions in this competition. We understand the importance of achieving a positive result away from home and are fully focused on doing that.”

Zamalek were beaten by Al Ahly in their previous match, but Gaber said that result was no longer affecting the squad.

“The Al Ahly match is in the past,” he said. “We learned from it and have moved on from the defeat. Our entire focus is now on facing the champions of Rwanda. Every competition is different, and we are determined to show our character in this match.”

Mahamoud Bentayg is absent from the squad after suffering a hamstring tear. The defender is expected to require 3-4 weeks to recover.

Zamalek’s squad for the match is:

Goalkeepers: Mehdi Soliman, Mohamed Awad, Mohamed Sobhi.

Defenders: Omar Gaber, Mohamed Farag, Mahmoud Hamdy “El Wensh”, Mohamed Ismail, Mostafa El Zenary, Ahmed Hossam, Ahmed Fattouh, Ahmed Khodary.

Midfielders: Mohamed Shehata, Ahmed Rabei, Mahmoud Jihad, Ahmed Abdel Rahim “Esho”, Adam Kaied, Abdullah El Said, Chico Banza, Ahmed El Gafaly, Mohamed Hamad.

Forwards: Hossam Ashraf, Nasser Mansi, Ahmed Sherif, Adi Al Dabbagh.

MBC Masr2 has announced through its official social media accounts that it has secured the rights to broadcast the first-leg match.

CAF has appointed Abdul Mufiri as referee, with Elvis Ngogo and Rodriguez Mini as assistant referees. Max Isouma will serve as the fourth official.

Tanzanian Khalid Abdullah Mohamed has been named CAF’s general match commissioner, while Ugandan Ali Molumba Tomusangi will act as referee assessor.

Zamalek reached the round of 32 after beating Ports of Djibouti 6-1 on aggregate. They won the first leg 2-1 before completing a 4-0 victory in the return match, with both games played in Cairo.

Rwandan Army secured their place in the same round by defeating Congolese club Eagles 3-1 on aggregate.

The second leg will be played at Cairo Stadium on Saturday, 24 October.