Zamalek face Raja Casablanca in the African Champions League semi-final second leg on Wednesday night at Cairo International Stadium.
The teams were originally meant to have finished the tie on Sunday but Confederation of Africa Football postponed the clash in order to allow several Raja Casablanca players and officials recover after contracting coronavirus.
The White Knights secured a 1-0 win in the first leg in Casablanca and they hope to secure a final where they will have a date with record champions Al Ahly.
Zamalek manager Jaime Pacheco believes his charges will accomplish the mission despite enduring a tough Egyptian Premier League season where they had to play several caught-up games before the end of the league.
“We will show our character and ambition because our target is to reach the final,” said Zamalek coach Jaime Pacheco, who added: “My players are exhausted, and hopefully this will not reflect on such an important game.
“Having the return leg at home is an advantage but only theoretically. All the semifinalists are good teams and chances are equal.”
Raja manager Jamal Sellami trusts his team’s ability to deliver in the continental level despite losing the first-leg encounter at their own backyard.
“Zamalek is a tough opponent but we will score in Egypt and we will beat them,” Sellami told a Moroccan radio station on Sunday as per Ahram Online.
“My team is not fit physically fit in comparison with Zamalek but I have many experienced players who are capable of making the difference in any moment during the game.”
Zamalek will be welcoming their centre-back Mahmoud Alaa who missed the first leg ewcounter through an injury.
However, the White Knights will be missing the services of player maker Youssef Obama who is nursing a knee injury that has made it difficult for him to be fit enough to play the game.
Raja have been without a game since losing the first leg on October 18, when Zamalek’s Achraf Bencharki netted the winner in the first half at Mohamed V Stadium in Casablanca.
The winner of the tie between Zamalek and Raja will meet Al Ahly on November 27 in the final that will be staged at the 87,000-capacity Borg el Arab Stadium on the outskirts of Egyptian Mediterranean city Alexandria.
