Sunday 14/December/2025 – 12:34 PM
Ahmed Abdel Raouf, coach of the first football team at Zamalek Club, decided to continue fielding goalkeeper Mahdi Soliman in the team’s starting lineup during the next confrontation against Haras El Hodoud, within the Egyptian Capital Cup tournament.
Despite the return of Muhammad Awad, Abdel Raouf settles on Mahdi Suleiman continuing as a starter in front of the border guards
A source within the Zamalek club’s technical staff revealed, in statements to Cairo 24, that Abdel Raouf’s decision came despite the return of goalkeeper Mohamed Awad to the team, following the end of his participation with the Egyptian national team in the Arab Cup Championship, and his return to regular regular team training.
The source explained that the technical director aims to give Mahdi Soliman a full opportunity to prove himself, especially in light of his not having received sufficient participations since joining the team, as he only appeared for a few minutes in the Premier League, before participating as a starter in the last confrontation with Kahraba Ismailia in the Egyptian Capital Cup tournament.
The source indicated that the technical staff believes that the Egyptian Capital Cup Championship represents an appropriate opportunity to try out some elements and give the substitute players more confidence, led by Mahdi Soliman, who received praise from the technical staff after his recent appearance and commitment during training.
He added that Abdel Raouf seeks to achieve a balance between giving opportunities to new elements and maintaining the technical stability of the team, especially in light of the pressure of matches during the coming period after the end of the African Nations, which pushes him to rely on the policy of rotation among players.
The source confirmed that goalkeeper Mohamed Awad remains one of the key elements within the team, but the technical staff preferred to postpone his return to the starting lineup in this match.
