The veteran defender was forced back to his home in Mansoura on Monday after the family bereavement, but insists to play in Thursday’s match.

“It is a very important game. I have to overcome my grief and be there for my team,” Al-Tabie told FilGoal.com. on Tuesday.

Al-Tabie is a key man in defense for new Smouha boss Hamza Al-Gamal, who expects a tough challenge taking the Alexandrian outfit out of the bottom three.

Meanwhile, Smouha board has decided to lower the prices of the match tickets to the minimum, in an attempt to attract more supporters for the game against the champions.