In all likelihood, Pitso Mosimane is a worried man as Al Ahly will not be at full strength for the Fifa Club World Cup.
The African Champions will miss several of their best players, who are on international duty for their respective countries in Cameroon’s 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon).
Mosimane selected an injured player, Percy Tau, in his 22-man squad to travel to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The Bafana Bafana international sustained an anterior muscle injury most recently but forms part of Al Ahly’s squad.
The Reds will also be without Mohamed El-Shennawy, Ayman Ashraf, Mohamed Abdelmoneim, Hamdi Fathi, Amr El-Sulya, Mohamed Sherif, Akram Tawfik, Salah Mohsen and Badr Benoun when they open their World Cup campaign in the second round against Concacaf Champions League champions Monterrey on Saturday.
However, Mali’s Aliou Dieng and Tunisian star Ali Maaloul will join the Cairo giants after their national teams were eliminated from Africa’s showpiece. But the Egyptian national team players can still join Al Ahly after their opening game as the club World Cup runs from 03-12 February, with the Afcon final set to be staged on Sunday, 06 Feb.
Al Ahly Full squad:
Goalkeepers: Ali Lotfi, Mostafa Shobier, Hamza Alaa, Mostafa Makhlouf.
Defenders: Rami Rabia, Mohamed Hany, Mohamed Ashraf, Mahmoud Wahid, Karim Fouad, Yasser Ibrahim, Ali Maaloul, Mohamed Maghrabi.
Midfielders: Walid Soliman, Hussein El-Shahat, Taher Mohamed Taher, Aliou Dieng, Ahmed Abdelkader, Amar Hamdi, Mohamed Fakhri, Mohamed Magdy Afsha, Luís Miquissone, Ziad Tarek.
Forwards: Percy Tau, Hossam Hassan.
