Raphael Durand
Dailysports's expert
One of the matches of the 7th round in the Egyptian Premier League relegation group will take place on Friday at the Alexandria Stadium, where the local side Smouha will host Al-Ittihad. I’m backing a bet on goals in this encounter, as the odds offer solid value for success.
Match preview
Smouha finished the main stage of the championship in 12th place, picking up 20 points from 17 matches. They missed out on a top-nine finish by just two points, which is hardly surprising considering they suffered three defeats in their final four matches, securing only one win in that stretch.
The relegation group stage has been extremely disappointing for Smouha — the team has yet to claim a single victory in seven matches at this phase. Currently, they sit sixth in the group, holding only a four-point cushion above the drop zone. In their most recent match, Smouha hosted ENPPI and suffered a 0-1 defeat.
Al-Ittihad have clearly endured a disastrous spring, losing all hope of contending for a spot in the upper half of the table. The team went through a prolonged slump, failing to win in seven consecutive matches across all competitions — six defeats and just one draw. Such a run inevitably pushed them to the fringes of the league battle.
Their losing streak was finally snapped in late April with a 2-1 away victory over Tala'ea El Gaish. Since then, the club recorded back-to-back draws against ZED (0-0) and Ghazl El Mahalla (0-0). Al-Ittihad now occupy fourth place in the relegation group, trailing ZED by six points and holding only a five-point buffer above the relegation zone. Away matches remain their Achilles heel — just two wins in 12 games on the road.
Probable lineups
- Smouha: Soliman, Amer, Rabia, Mostafa, Hesham, Dodo, Kanaria, Saber, Gaber, El Ouadi, Salim
- Al-Ittihad: Soliman, Dawood, Bakry, Shabana, Ibrahim, Ape, Saleh, Salifu, Aubame, Farid, Mohamed
Match facts and head-to-head
- In the first round, Smouha defeated their opponent 1-0 away from home
- The over 2.5 goals bet has landed in just one of the last five matches
- The "Both teams to score" bet has only come through in one of the last five encounters
Prediction
Bookmakers see no clear favorite in this clash, offering odds of around 2.50 for a Smouha win, while Al-Ittihad’s victory is priced at approximately 3.55. We don’t expect a goal fest here and our pick is "Under 1.5 total goals" at odds of 1.95.
