Critical test for Al-Ahly and Zamalek in dramatic Egypt Cup final

Games between Al-Ahly and Zamalek are always tense, fraught and a very big deal.

But Thursday night’s clash ranks higher than most in historical importance. This is the Egypt Cup final. The two Cairo rivals have lifted the trophy a combined 64 times, but this showpiece could be season-defining.

This will be the 20th meeting between the teams in the final. So far, Al-Ahly have emerged triumphant nine times to Zamalek’s eight, with the other two titles being shared. The last two finals in 2015 and 2016, however, have gone Zamalek’s way. There’s plenty of history then but the 2022 final is also about the future.

It is about the future of the league trophy, in a way. As things stand, Zamalek are on 57 points from 25 games, while Pyramids are second with four points fewer. Al-Ahly are in third with 48 points but have two games in hand on the top two. There is still all to play for but we are now in the final third of the season and Al-Ahly can’t afford to drop too many points.

In some ways, this is similar to last season when commitments in the African Champions League and the FIFA Club World Cup left too many games in hand and too many points to make up in the league. In the end, the Red Giants came up short and there are the same concerns of fatigue this time around with 13 games from now until the end of August.

It is also about the future of the coaches. Pitso Mosimane found that during his time in charge of the Red Giants, few cared about talk of competing on multiple fronts. Fans of a team that has won 42 league titles, 37 Egypt Cups and 10 Champions Leagues, expect success. Former players and legends are quick to criticize. It all ended with the South African and the club going their separate ways in June. On the