Zamalek's African Champions League return brings a daunting test - and a warning from last season
Zamalek are back in the CAF Champions League group stage after a three-year absence, but their return has been overshadowed by a difficult draw and concerns over their performances this season. The Egyptian club were placed alongside Tunisian league champions Club Africain, Algerian champions MC Alger and Tanzanian champions Young Africans, creating what is widely regarded as a group of death.
Zamalek have not won Africa's premier club competition for 23 years. They remain the second most successful team in its history, with five titles, behind Egyptian rivals Al Ahly.
The White Knights have reached the final twice since their last triumph, losing to South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns in 2016 before suffering defeat by Al Ahly in 2020. Their return to the group stage follows three seasons in the CAF Confederation Cup.
During that period, Zamalek won the competition once, lost another final and were eliminated in the quarter-finals in the third campaign. The draw would have been demanding even with several major African teams absent, including Al Ahly, Mamelodi Sundowns, Wydad Casablanca and Raja Casablanca.
However, the scale of the challenge is heightened by Zamalek's inconsistent displays since the start of the campaign. Their results appear impressive at first glance.
Zamalek have played 11 matches in the Egyptian Premier League and CAF Champions League, winning nine, drawing once against Al Ittihad Alexandria at the beginning of the season and losing to Al Ahly - a fixture in which they have regularly come up short in recent years. They are third in the Egyptian Premier League with 16 points, five behind leaders Pyramids and one behind second-placed Al Ahly.
In Africa, Zamalek have won all four matches they have played, covering the first and second legs of the competition's round of 64 and round of 32. Yet those victories have not always reflected the balance of play, with the team coming close to dropping points in several matches and, at times, appearing more likely to lose.
Relying solely on the results, rather than addressing what has happened on the pitch, could prove costly in their pursuit of a sixth African title. Zamalek can look to last season for a possible blueprint.
They won the Egyptian Premier League despite not being considered the first, second or perhaps even third favourites, while operating under difficult circumstances. That success was supported by a sporting director overseeing the football structure away from the board, a head coach working with performance analysts and a disciplined environment.