Zamalek welcome back trio before Al Ahly derby

Zamalek have been boosted by the return of Chico Banza, Odai Al-Dabbagh and Adam Kaied to full team training ahead of Sunday’s Egyptian League meeting with Al Ahly.

The match will be played as part of the sixth round of the competition, with both sides level on 13 points. Zamalek are second on goal difference, while Pyramids lead the table on 15 points.

The returning players took part in the club’s collective session after completing their international commitments.

Zamalek’s training began with a physical programme overseen by fitness coach Nuno Costa Ribeiro. The players ran around the pitch before moving on to a series of light ball exercises.

Head coach Moataz Gamal then divided the squad into groups for tactical work, regularly stopping the session to provide instructions. The players finished with a technical game designed to practise the ideas covered during the tactical drills.

The return of the internationals means Zamalek now have a complete squad available before the derby against Al Ahly.

Odai Al-Dabbagh was particularly effective during the international break with Palestine, appearing in three matches, scoring four goals and providing one assist.

Before the break, the Palestinian national team’s all-time leading scorer had supplied two assists for Zamalek in the league but had not scored for the club.

Adam Kaied also represented Palestine during the break. He started one match and came on as a substitute in two others, and is still waiting to make his first direct contribution to a goal for Zamalek this season.

Chico Banza came on as a substitute for Angola in their match against Egypt. He was then an unused substitute in Angola’s victory over Malawi on 6 October.

In four league appearances for Zamalek this season, Banza has scored once and provided one assist.

Zamalek, managed by Moataz Gamal, will spend five days in a closed training camp leading up to the match.

The club’s most recent result was a 3-0 defeat by ZED after they opted to rest first-team players and give opportunities to footballers born in 2007 and 2009 in the Egypt Capital Cup.

Their meeting with Al Ahly will therefore bring together two sides separated only by goal difference in the league table.