Baciro: Facing Modern is Tough and Our Goal is to Win the Egypt Cup

Portuguese coach José Baciro, the manager of Zamalek Club, spoke about the match against Modern Sport scheduled for this Friday evening, as part of the Round of 16 in the Egypt Cup.

Baciro stated in his remarks: "The team is fighting for all the championships, and we aim to win the cup, starting with the match against Modern Sport, which is set for today. The opponent managed to defeat us in the first round, so there needs to be determination, commitment, and focus. Every player must give 100% of their effort on the field, and we need to develop our style of play."

He added: "We are keen to assess the players' conditions and select the most prepared players for today's match against Modern Sport. We cannot think about any other match except the Egypt Cup match. In the previous game, some adjustments were made by resting Abdullah Al-Saeed from the start, and I need to evaluate the players' readiness to avoid injuries until the end of the season, especially since any player who gets injured at this time may not return quickly to the team."

He continued: "The return of Zizo and Shahat for the upcoming match against Modern is great, while Ahmed Al-Jafali will miss out due to injury, which is unfortunate for a player at the start of his journey with the team."

He went on to say: "Zamalek's loss to Modern Sport in the first round of the league will create motivation for my team. It is natural for there to be pressure on my players because they are playing for a big club like Zamalek. The players want to win in tomorrow's match to restore their pride."

He concluded: "The reason for the injuries may be the players' need to adapt to the team, especially since they come from different leagues, and some joined Zamalek during the winter transfer period. The medical staff is doing their job perfectly with the injured players, and we cannot increase the training load during the holy month of Ramadan, especially with the current pressure of matches. The training load is increased for players who do not participate significantly."

He wrapped up his statements by saying: "I prefer Zamalek's matches to be attended by fans, and we have missed them in the last two matches. They must exert their utmost effort to avoid suspension."