Al Ahly have finalised arrangements for their pre-season training camp in Spain as the Egyptian champions step up preparations for the new domestic campaign, with a high-profile friendly against Barcelona set to conclude the trip.
The camp will run from 6 to 19 August and represents the final phase of the club’s build-up before the start of the new Egyptian league season. During their stay, Al Ahly will play a series of friendly matches, culminating in a meeting with Barcelona at Camp Nou on 19 August.
Before travelling to Spain, Al Ahly will continue their preparations in Egypt with two additional warm-up fixtures. The team is scheduled to face Lavina on Thursday at the club’s youth sector training grounds in Nasr City before taking on Petrol Assiut in another friendly next Wednesday.
According to a club source, the travelling delegation will leave for Spain next Thursday on a scheduled flight to Barcelona, the city that will serve as the base for the team’s pre-season programme.
The source said the squad will initially stay at a location approximately 30 minutes from Barcelona, where players will train from the time of their arrival until 17 August.
“He added: “The delegation will stay in a place about 30 minutes away from the city of Barcelona, where training will take place from arrival until August 17, when they will move to the city of Barcelona in preparation for facing the Barca team on August 19.”
The final days of the camp will therefore be spent in Barcelona itself as the team prepares for what is expected to be the headline fixture of the pre-season schedule.
Before meeting the Spanish club, Al Ahly will also play two friendly matches against lower-division opposition as part of the coaching staff’s preparations.
“He explained: “The team will play two friendly matches on August 12 and 13 against lower-division teams, before the main part of the camp against Barcelona.”
The club views those matches as an opportunity to build fitness and assess tactical preparations before facing stronger opposition at the end of the tour.
Meanwhile, head coach Hussein Ammouta is expected to finalise the travelling squad in the coming days. The club source said the coaching staff will make its final selections after decisions have been taken regarding players expected to leave the club.
“The source stressed that the technical staff, led by Hussein Ammouta, will take the final list that will be settled on in the coming days, after the departure of all the players who will be notified to the football management at the beginning of next week.”
Squad planning has already been influenced by transfer activity. Al Ahly have completed the sales of Mohamed Shukri and Mustafa Al-Ash to Al-Masry Al-Portsaidi in a deal worth 60 million Egyptian pounds, with the agreement also including a 10% future sell-on privilege.
The source also indicated that Omar Al-Saai is expected to follow, with either a permanent transfer or a loan move under consideration.
Further departures could be confirmed before the squad leaves for Spain. Al Ahly are expected to announce within hours that Nits Gerdashar will join Ceramica Cleopatra on a season-long loan.
Ammouta is also yet to reach a final decision regarding the futures of Mohamed Magdy Afsha and Mohamed Sherif, with both players’ situations expected to be resolved before the travelling squad is confirmed.
The Spain training camp is expected to play a key role in shaping Al Ahly’s preparations for the new season, giving Ammouta the opportunity to integrate his preferred squad, evaluate his tactical plans and build momentum ahead of domestic competition.
With a series of warm-up matches and a prestigious encounter against Barcelona awaiting, the club hopes the two-week programme will provide the ideal platform for the challenges of the season ahead.
