كتب : Hatem Maher
Ahli wrapped up their fourth successive Egyptian League title last week following a goalless draw with Baladeya.
But they came back down to earth after slumping to a stunning 2-1 away defeat to Platinum Stars in the first leg of the CAF Champions League round of 16.
Ittihad have no alternative but to go for a much-needed win that will ease their relegation worries.
"It's a do-or-die situation. We must fight to get a positive result and keep our survival hopes alive," Ittihad coach Taha Basri told FilGoal.com.
The Alexandria-based club face the prospect of being relegated to the second division for the first time since the 1961/1962 season.
They lie third from bottom with 23 points, two adrift of the safety zone with five matches to go.
Ahli coach Manuel Jose decided to rest a host of regulars for the match. The likes of Flavio Amado, Gilberto and Shadi Mohamed have been excluded from the match's squad.
On the other hand, Ittihad coach Taha Basri omitted underperformers Ahmed Saleh, Youssef Hamdi and Sameh Youssef.
Over the past few years, Ittihad implemented a policy of signing players who became out of favor at powerful teams like Ahli and Zamalek.
The policy proved to be a complete failure. The reason is obvious- Ittihad targeted some players because they play for top clubs in Egypt regardless of their quality.
Zamalek V Arab Contractors
Zamalek will finally have an almost full-strength side when they face Arab Contractors.
The Cairo giants suffered dearly from repeated injuries which hit the likes of Amr Zaki, Gamal Hamza and Mahmoud Fathallah over the past few months.
"For the first time this season, we approach the game without suspensions or injury problems," Zamalek assistant coach Mohamed Helmi told FilGoal.com.
"We aim to give the chance to everybody in order to help them be ready for our Champions League commitment as well as the Egyptian Cup final."
Apart from their target to win the Egyptian Cup at the expense of ENPPI on May 25th, Zamalek are looking to finish second in the league in order to play in the Champions League.
Zamalek battle with in-form Al-Gaish to obtain the final Champions League qualifying spot.
Military club Al-Gaish are second in the league table with 47 points, just one ahead of third-placed Zamalek.
On the other hand, a four-match winless streak alerted Arab Contractors that their top-flight status is not safe.
They need a positive result against Zamalek if they are to repel any fears of being relegated.
Contractors lie tenth in the 16-team table on 27 points, four ahead of the relegation zone.