Percy Tau has once again been frozen out of Al Ahly squad to face US Monastir in a CAF Champions League contest on Saturday evening.
Tau was also not part of the squad that beat Monastir 1-0 last weekend in the round-of-32 first-leg match played in Tunisia.
It was expected that Tau would be available for selection for the reverse fixture scheduled for Al Ahly at the Al Stadium in Cairo.
MATCH FITNESS ISSUES?
However, it appears Al Ahly coach Marcel Koller is not fully convinced that Tau is in the right physical shape for the encounter.
The Bafana Bafana star has been fighting his way back to full match fitness after a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
Koller has since named Mohamed Sherif, Hossam Hassan and Shady Husein as his strikers for the match.
The playing squad also comprises new Brazilian signing, winger Bruno Salvio.
The Egyptian side is trying to recapture its lost glory after finishing the recent season empty-handed.
Al Ahly lost 2-0 to Wydad Casablanca in the Champions League final in Morocco in what was then coach Pitso Mosimane’s last game in charge of the Egyptian side.
He resigned citing increasing pressure and has since started a new lease of life at Al Ahli Saudi FC in Saudi Arabia.
Mosimane’s exit seemed to cast doubt on the future of his signing Tau, who joined from Brighton and Hove Albion in England last season.
Nonetheless, Koller drafted the South African player into the squad for the domestic league and Champions League.
Tau’s contribution to the cause of the Club of the Century has been limited by niggling injuries.
The former Mamelodi Sundowns forward hardly played for Al Ahly when Portuguese Ricardo Soares replaced Mosimane on the hot seat.
Soares lost his job last month after an uninspiring third-place finish in the Egyptian Premier League and a 2-1 loss to rivals Zamalek in the Egyptian Cup.
Former Austria coach Koller has since been hired to steady the ship with winning the CAF Champions League a priority.
Mosimane set the bar by winning two Champions League titles in three attempts.
