Al Ahly’s precision comeback: three stars cleared for the Petrojet clash

Match readiness and squad updates

Al Ahly announced that three players are set to return for the upcoming fixtures after sitting out domestic and continental matches for varying reasons.

Mohamed El Shennawy and Ahmed Sayed "Zizou" are cleared to feature against Petrojet in the Egyptian Premier League's 12th round. Shennawy had been sidelined by a cold and general fatigue that kept him out of the Eagle Nwar tie at Cairo International Stadium, a 1-0 win that carried the Reds forward to the group stage of the CAF Champions League.

Sources told Kooora that Zizou missed yesterday's game but trained on the bench and will be available again for Petrojet after rest and recovery. Imam Ashour has received the green light to start light walking at home as he recovers from hepatitis A and is following a strict diet and treatment plan to regain his energy.

The club cautions that Ashour will likely require up to 10 days before he can join full training and will be unavailable for the Super Cup in the UAE from November 6-9.

Karem Fouad is ready to return after a spell out with injury; Hussein El Shahat and Mohamed Sharf still need time to recuperate, while Moroccan defender Ashraf Dari will undergo scans to determine his return date.

From CAF to league action

The Danish coach Jes Torup praised the squad's resilience after playing more than 75 minutes with ten men in the return leg against Eagle Nwar. The final 1-0 victory gave Al Ahly a 2-0 aggregate triumph and qualification to the group stage, marking the 11th consecutive appearance at this stage of the continental competition.

During the match, a controversial red card shown to Eagles Nwar's Nits Gradychar was cited by the club in its CAF protest, along with other refereeing decisions that affected the tie as a whole. Ahly argued for the annulment of Gradychar's suspension and the rectification of the red card decision based on video evidence.

Torup emphasized squad rotation and emphasizes each game is an opportunity to learn and develop, expressing confidence in every player and his ability to contribute when called upon. The team will resume training at Al Ahly's training complex and will enter a closed camp on Tuesday ahead of their league fixture against Petrojet.

At present, Al Ahly leads the Egyptian Premier League with 21 points while Petrojet sit in 13th on 14 points.