Egypt’s Al Ahly and Raja CA of Morocco will renew their rivalry on Saturday in the first leg of their CAF Champions League quarterfinal duel at the Cairo International Stadium. The two teams met last season at the same stage, where Ahly triumphed in a narrow 3-2 aggregate victory over the Green Eagles. Both teams have multiple absences due to injury which will test the depth and strength of their squads in a clash that promises to be closely contested with the first leg set to have at least 52,000 Ahly supporters in the stadium.
Al Ahly recovered from a slow start to the group stage to seize second place in Group B with a victory on the final day against Sudan’s Al-Hilal, a result that helped head coach Marcel Koller and his team avoid the embarrassment of an early exit. The African Club of the 20th Century are in excellent domestic form and well on their way to seizing the Egyptian Premier League title back from rivals Zamalek under the Swiss coach who has restored the confidence of the supporters in their team. Koller indicated the objective for Ahly is to avoid conceding an away goal and to take advantage of their opportunities.
The notable absences for the Cairo club are forwards Ahmed Abdelkader and Mohamed Dhaoui as well as backup central defender Ramy Rabia. Despite a late red card that drew criticism from Koller, Mohamed El Shenawy will keep his place in the Ahly goal and Mohamed Abdelmonem will anchor a defensive line that features fullbacks Ali Maâloul and Mohamed Hany who are both in excellent form. Forward Kahraba received a lengthy suspension in Egyptian domestic football but will be available to lead the attacking line and should be flanked by South African forward Percy Tau and the confident Hussein El Shahat. Amr El Solia and Hamdi Fathi lead a skilled midfield and Marwan Attia will compete with Aliou Dieng for the third spot.
Raja recovered from a poor start in Morocco’s Botola Pro to conquer Group C with ease in the CAF Champions League and Monther Kebaier’s side will be confident of success. The Tunisian tactician has a handful of absences due to injury, most notably midfielders Zakaria Hadraf and Mohamed Al Makaazi. Considering that Raja are still struggling in the battle for qualification for next season’s CAF club competitions, the ongoing CAF Champions League campaign is a crucial opportunity for the Raja team to restore the faith of the supporters and a victory over Al Ahly is the ultimate triumph.
Goalkeeper Anas Zniti gives Raja a counter to Ahly keeper Mohamed El Shenawy and Saturday’s match will feature two of the top custodians in African club football. Jamal Harkass and Ismail Mokadem form a secure partnership in the center of defense and Mahmoud Bentayg is a rising talent at the left back position. The key figure for the Raja attack is forward Hamza Khabba, who has five goals in this season’s CAF Champions League and tends to play his best on the important occasions. Algerian attacker Yousri Bouzok is another player to watch who is playing better in continental competition than in the Botola Pro.
More information on both teams is in the links below.
