Lasarte: Egypt's Al Ahly can cope without injured stars

Martin Lasarte

Friday Jan 18, 2019. 12:00

Record eight-time CAF Champions League winners Al Ahly are will be without some of their key players when they face Algerian side JS Saoura.

The Egyptian giants started their Group C campaign with a 2-0 home victory over DR Congo’s AS Vita, while Saoura were on the losing side in Dar Es-Salam, going down 3-0 to Tanzania’s Simba.

Al Ahly head coach Martin Lasarte is confident that his side can secure a win over Saoura in Algeria on Friday.

“We did what we planned for - the maximum points. To win your first group game is very important and we played for that from the very beginning," Lasarte said on CAF website.

Ahly is experiencing some tough times with injuries keeping out a number of players.

“We have some new faces that are still paving their way into the team. Many key players are absent due to injuries and we will do our best to find their suitable replacements.

"I believe all the players will give everything to return from Algeria with a positive result,” added Lasarte.

Defenders Ahmed Fathy, Saad Samir and Mohamed Naguib, midfielders Hossam Ashour and Hesham Mohamed and strikers Walid Azaro, Marawan Mohsen and Salah Mohsen are all out due to various injuries.