Ahly to miss influential duo in Champions League tie

Influential duo Abdallah El-Saied and Wael Gomaa will miss Ahly’s upcoming African Champions League game against Ethiopian Coffee due to injuries, the club said on Saturday. Playmaker El-Saied has yet to recover from a groin injury he picked up last month while veteran defender Gomaa is nursing a calf complaint. “Both players will not be able to make the game,” Ahly doctor Ehab Aly said. Gomaa’s injury is likely to give coach Manuel Jose a defensive headache, given the limited options he has at the back. Fellow central defender Sherif Abdel-Fadil is doubtful for the match through injury, with reports suggesting that Jose might field natural right-back Ahmed Fathi or defensive midfielder Mohamed Shawky at the back. “Abdel-Fadil’s participation in the match is uncertain. We will assess his fitness in the coming few days,” Aly added. Emad Meteb, Ahly’s only reliable striker, had already been ruled out of the game after going under the knife to remove his appendix. Ahly face Ethiopian Coffee in the first leg of the Champions League round of 32 in Addis Ababa on 25 March. The Red Devils, the record winners of the Champions League with six titles under their belt, have just ended a training camp in the United Arab Emirates, where they slumped to two defeats in friendly games.