21:00 Cairo Local Time | 14:00 ET Canada-USA
Venue: Stade Mohamed V (Casablanca) | Morocco
The Cairo giants have endured a patchy form of late, having been held to draws at home to Angola’s Petro Atletico and away to Sagrada Esperanca in their opening Group D games of the Champions League.
In between, they also slumped to a surprise 2-0 loss to Smouha in the Egyptian Premier League, which saw them drop to third in the table behind Pyramids FC and perennial Cairo rivals Ahly.
The disappointing run increased pressure on beleaguered coach Patrice Carteron, who will need to quickly get the team back on track if he is to avoid being the first casualty of Mortada Mansour after the eccentric chairman won a fresh four-year term as the club’s president.
“When you take charge of a team the size of Zamalek, you must be patient when under pressure, and I hope to stay until I achieve a major title with the team,” Carteron, who led Zamalek to the domestic league title last season, told a news conference ahead of the Wydad clash.
Zamalek’s game against Wydad could determine the Frenchman’s future, with the White Knights eyeing a positive result to boost their chances of reaching the last eight after a disappointing group-stage elimination last season.
They lie third in the group with two points, one behind Wydad and two adrift of surprise leaders Petro Atletico.
Wydad will be also looking to make up for a surprise 2-1 loss to Atletico, and they are banking on fan support at the Mohammed V Stadium in Casablanca after Moroccan authorities had agreed to their request to play before their typically passionate fans.
LIVE: Wydad Casablanca v Zamalek SC | CAF Champions League
21:00 Cairo Local Time | 14:00 ET Canada-USA
