Al Ahly is careful in approaching their CAF Champions League game against Al Merrikh on Sunday 3 April at Omdurman Stadium in Khartoum
The Red Devils head coach Pitso Mosimane believes that his side is more than ready to face their opponents but foresees a possibility of tough game against the Sudanese giants.
“It will be a difficult game. Every team has two games remaining and these points will decide the two teams that will reach the quarter-finals,” said Mosimane.
“Both teams will fight for the three points. We want to win the game and take a step towards reaching the next round as group leaders if we manage to defeat Simba SC at home in the last round.”
Al Ahly will miss the services of dependable defender Ali Maaloul and midfielder Hamdy Fathy as both failed to travel with the team due to various reasons as explained by Mosimane.
“We will miss key players like Ali Maaloul and Hamdy Fathy but the big teams like Al Ahly can deal with these absences. We are dealing with the situation whether the player is ruled out for injury or due to testing positive for COVID-19, which we experienced in the past period,” the coach added.
His sentiments were echoed by Al Ahly captain Mohamed El Shenawy who said the game will not be easy as it will be against a strong side, which has a huge fan base.
“Our goal is to finish the group as leaders and we need to win the remaining two games to achieve our target,” said El Shenawy.
“We analyzed Al Merrikh SC very well and we are ready for the match.
“We are always happy when we play in Sudan as we consider Sudan our second home. The people of Egypt and Sudan enjoy a historic relationship.
“We have huge motivations ahead of the game. We want to get the three points and take a big step towards reaching the quarter-finals and continuing our journey to defend our title.”
The Red Devils lie second in Group A with seven points, three behind leaders Tanzania’s Simba and four clear of third-placed AS Vita of the DR Congo, while Merrikh lie at the bottom with a solitary point.
