Al Ahly head coach Marcel Koller believes his side’s uplift in form came after the recent Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia.
The African champions managed a third-place finish at the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup after defeating Japan’s Urawa Reds 4-2 in the playoffs.
Since then, they went on a seven-game unbeaten run in all competitions and also won the Egyptian Super Cup last month.
With a final game against arch-rivals Zamalek, Al Ahly have an opportunity to win another domestic trophy in the form of the 2022-23 Egypt Cup.
Speaking before the tie, Al Ahly’s Marcel Koller reflected on his side’s season and expects a tough game on Friday.
“We didn’t start the season well,” Koller told reporters. “There was a difficult run of games at the start because of the CAF Super Cup and then the African Football League.
“But we had good results in the Club World Cup and we have kicked on since then. I think it was a turning point in our season.
“Our games against Zamalek are never easy and I expect the one on Friday to be no different. Maybe we were a bit fortunate to win our last three games against them.”