The Zamalek skipper has missed large periods of his side's league campaign due to repetitive physical complaints.

Even when he was available, Zamalek coach Ruud Krol opted to field in-form Mahmoud Abdul-Razeq 'Shikabala' instead of the veteran playmaker.

Magdi Attwa has been ruled out of the match after sustaining a thigh injury in the Cairo giants' hard-fought 1-0 victory over Arab Contractors on Wednesday.

Striker Amr Zaki is still missing due to internal suspension for being involved in an altercation with assistant coach Ayman Mansour. He is expected to be back next week.

Zamalek squad:

Goalkeepers: Mohamed Abdul-Monsef, Abdul-Wahed Al-Sayed

Defenders: Amr Al-Safti, Beshir Al-Tabie, Mahmoud Fathallah, Wissem El-Abdi, Ahmed Ghanem, Tarek Al-Sayed, Khaled Saad

Midfielders: Ahmed Magdi, Ahmed Abdul-Raouf, Tamer Abdul-Hamid, Shikabala, Hazem Emam

Strikers: Abdul-Halim Ali, Gamal Hamza, Mostafa Gaafar, Sherif Ashraf