Tuesday’s groundbreaking 16th running of the showpiece match in Cairo is a repeat of May’s semi-final meeting in the President’s Cup. On that day, UAE forward Ali Mabkhout’s hat-trick propelled the Pride of Abu Dhabi past the Arabian Gulf League champions and set them on a course to lifting the UAE’s most prestigious trophy.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference at 30 June Stadium, the Dutchman stated he knew the winning formula to dispatch their vaunted opponents.

“Our semi-final in the President’s Cup against Al Ahli proved that form can sometimes go out of the window in these type of games,” the 61-year-old said, referencing the 3-2 triumph at Sheikh Khalifa International Stadium.

“We excelled against Al Ahli previously in such an encounter because we used a different approach. I am optimistic at our chances of returning to the UAE with the Super Cup.”

The sides experienced contrasting fortunes in the 2015/16 top flight. Ahli raced to the title, while a mid-season rescue job from Ten Cate saw his charges eventually limp home seventh.

A new campaign has seen fresh signings injected into both sqauds. The most prominent has been Ahli’s capture of Al Ain icon Asamoah Gyan, 30, on a year-long loan from Shanghai SIPG.

He said: “I’m still in the early days of my career with this team and I haven’t completed a month here yet. But owing to my previous experience here in UAE it was very easy for me to settle in with the players very quickly.

“I have a strong desire to win trophies with this group. Hopefully we can start with the Arabian Gulf Super Cup.”

Red Knights boss Cosmin Olaroiu has only just been re-introduced to his seven-strong UAE cohort after their long summer away with the national team. But the Romanian believed integration would not be an issue for the three-time Super Cup winners.

“It is not ideal that we just got our players back from the international break, but the wonderful thing about Al Ahli is that we have been together for three years now, so the players know how to play together,” said Olaroiu.

Ahli come into the clash on the back of a 5-1 mauling of bitter rivals Al Ain in the Arabian Gulf Super Cup, with this following an opening 1-0 defeat at Al Nasr. In the same competition, Jazira drew their only match 2-2 against Al Wahda.