CAIRO: CAF Champions League finalists Al Ahly will miss a number of key players when they visit Ismaili in the Egyptian league crunch game today.

Defense trio Emad Al-Nahhas, Ahmed Al-Sayed and Sebastiao Gilberto were all ruled out of the Ismaili game due to injuries.

Al-Nahhas and Al-Sayed suffered minor knocks during Al Ahly s Champions League final first-leg 0-0 draw at Etoile Sahel on Saturday, but the duo should be fit for the return game on Nov. 9.

Angolan full-back Gilberto, who missed the Etoile game with a recurring Achilles problem, remains on the sidelines for another week.

Manuel Jose recalled youth team center-half Mohamed Samir as a backup player for the heart of defense, which is likely to feature Shadi Mohamed, Wael Gomaa and Rami Adel.

Al Ahly squad

Goalkeepers: Essam Al-Hadari, Amir Abdel Hamid

Defenders: Shadi Mohamed, Mohamed Samir, Wael Gomaa, Islam Al-Shater, Rami Adel, Ahmed Shedid, Ahmed Adel

Midfielders: Mohamed Barakat, Ahmed Sedik, Hassan Mostafa, Anis Boujelbene, Hossam Ashour, Mohamed Abou-Treika

Strikers: Emad Meteb, Flavio Amado, Osama Hosni