On Saturday (16:00 GMT), defending CAF Champions League winners Al Ahly of Egypt are searching for a win in Abidjan against Ivorian club Stade d'Abidjan in their CAFCL Group C clash. The hosts, already eliminated from contention for the quarterfinals, will look to play the role of spoiler against an Ahly side that is under increasing pressure following its defeat at CR Belouizdad last time out.
Group C Table
GP | Points | |
Orlando Pirates | 4 | 8 |
Al Ahly | 4 | 7 |
CR Belouizdad | 4 | 6 |
Stade d'Abidjan | 4 | 1 |
Stade d'Abidjan
Following their defeat at Orlando Pirates last Saturday, Stade d'Abidjan now cannot reach the quarterfinals leaving the Ivorian club to play for pride and progress in its final two matches. Despite poor results the club has left an impression with its fearless attacking mentality and occasional set piece brilliance which makes Stade quite an unpredictable team to play against.
Stade depends on their veteran players to influence the younger performers. Essis Aka is the crucial link between defense and attack from his central midfield position and Roger Assalé is the creative force in attack. However these two veterans cannot do it by themselves and need support from the likes of Kassoum Koné and Saint-Jean Kore, less experienced attackers who have failed to rise to the occasion of the group stage.
The defense is also a weakness for Stade, plagued by inconsistency and a lack of composure particularly away from home. The defensive line is physically capable but the reality is that experienced goalkeeper Drissa Bamba will need to perform at his best for Stade to have any hopes of an upset in Abidjan.
Al Ahly
It is a good time for Stade to face Al Ahly who have not performed up to expectations so far this season. The attack was poor in their defeat at CR Belouizdad and a lack of offensive consistency continues to cause concern for supporters. Reinforcements will arrive soon in the transfer window but head coach Marcel Koller and his team will need to find a way until then.
Striker Wessam Abou Ali and veteran Hussein El Shahat are the most productive attacking players this season but it could be Mohamed Magdy "Afsha" who could make the difference on Saturday. The playmaker has been showing signs of his magnificent form from a couple seasons ago and is very likely to play from the beginning with South African winger Percy Tau on his way to Qatari football. Attacking midfielder Emam Ashour is another player to watch who can operate in a variety of roles and possesses strong technical abilities.
While waiting for a moment of magic from the attack, it appears that Ahly will count on its reliable defense to keep a clean sheet. Goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy has a strong defensive line in front of him despite injuries to Moroccan central defender Achraf Dari as well as Egypt national team defender Omar Kamal. Another Moroccan, left back Yahia Attiyat Allah, is also injured requiring the services of youth academy product Karim El Debes.
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