Sports
Cairo derby at hand as Zamalek and Al Ahly meet level on 13 points
October 9, 2026 at 05:28 AM · Updated 7d ago
Coverage
15 reports · over 21 hours
Zamalek hosts Al Ahly on Sunday in the Egyptian Premier League round-six Cairo derby, with both sides level on 13 points.
- The match kicks off at 20:00 Cairo time on Sunday October 11 at Cairo International Stadium.
- Refereeing committee head Essam Abdel-Fattah said Germany, England and Italy refused to provide officials, so the committee chose a Slovenian referee after Spain and Portugal offered non-elite options.
- Al Ahly club TV warned fans against raising expectations, as former club company head Adly El-Qaiey said recent League Cup results do not predict the derby.
- Al Ahly's injured duo Yasser Ibrahim and Mohamed Magdy Afsha undergo medical tests on Friday to determine their summit availability.
- Zamalek's Oday Dabbagh returned Thursday while Adam Kaid and Chico Banza arrive Friday, as the club reviews FIFA release rules for derby availability.
- Former Al Ahly coach Juan Carlos Garrido called the Cairo derby one of world football's best matches, saying winning it requires more than tactics.
- Former Al Ahly and Zamalek coach Rainer Hollmann predicted Sunday's derby ends in a draw, saying both clubs have great potential.
- Pyramids FC coach Mohamed Naguib Jeddo said the match will be difficult for both sides and hoped it would be enjoyable to watch.
- Pyramids FC player Mustafa Abdel Raouf Ziko said the result should favor his team's title bid, noting derbies often do not go to the better team.
- Al-Ahly coach Hussein Ammouta plans a 4-2-3-1 formation with intense pressing and quick transitions to break Zamalek's expected defensive block.
- Zamalek coach Mo'tamed Gamal plans a 4-2-3-1 setup, shifting to 4-4-2, to exploit Al Ahly's left-back weakness and press Marwan Attia.
- Al Ahly entered an early closed training camp on Friday at Hussein Ammouta's request ahead of Sunday's derby.














