Zamalek midfielder Ahmed Rabie has revealed he is nursing a broken nose, a fresh blow to the White Knights ahead of their meeting with Petrojet Assiut in the Egyptian Premier League, with his availability for the coming fixtures still unclear.
Rabie started against Rwanda's Army side last Friday evening in the first leg of the second preliminary round of the African Champions League. He only disclosed the injury after the squad flew back into Cairo today, Sunday, from Rwanda.
Posting a picture of himself on his official "Instagram" account, the midfielder wrote: "Praise be to God in all circumstances.. a broken nose.. it is God's will and He does as He pleases."
Press reports suggest the injury will initially rule him out of the matches against Petrol Assiut in the Egyptian league and the Rwandan army side in the second leg of the second preliminary round of the African Champions League, pending clarification of his final situation regarding participation.
The timing could hardly be worse for coach Moatamed Gamal, who is preparing to lead Zamalek against Petrol Assiut next Tuesday in the seventh round of the Egyptian Premier League.
Zamalek sit third in the standings on 13 points from their first six matches, having lost to arch-rivals Al Ahly in the Cairo derby last Sunday.
They opened their second preliminary round campaign in the African Champions League with a 1-0 win over the Rwandan army side, in the match played on Friday evening at the Amahoro Stadium in Rwanda.
Cairo International Stadium hosts the second leg next Saturday. Zamalek will look to confirm their superiority and seal qualification for the next round, with Rabie's situation still up in the air after his broken nose.
