(AFP/Mohamd Abdou)
Al-Ahly SC is set to meet the Orlando Pirates 4pm (CLT) on 2 November in Orlando stadium at the city of Soweto in the 50th edition of the African Champions League (CAF) competition.
The Old Firm
The Egyptian capital team has dominated the competition with nine final appearances, of which it has won seven, while it is only the second appearance for Orlando Pirates who appeared once in 1995, winning the competition.
Ahly manager Mohamed Youssef has not yet announced the squad which will face the South African outfit, adding in a press conference Tuesday that he has not decided on who should start.
It is suspected that the squad which faced Coton de Garoua will also start in South Africa, a lineup which includes Ekramy in goal. Rabia,Abdel-Fadil, Moawad, Naguib in defence, Fathy Soliman Said Treka and Shehab in midfield with Abdul Zaher in attack.
The first leg saw Ahly and Coton Sport draw 1-1 in Cameroon while the reds emerged victorious over Cameroonian outfit in the semifinal return leg after a 7-6 penalty shootout result declared the Egyptian team winners on Sunday last week.
New kids on the block
As this represents the Pirates’ second ever appearance in the CAF final, this is an important match in their history. According to the official CAF website, the South African Football Association called on all football fans in South Africa to rally behind the Pirates for this “defining moment not just for Orlando Pirates” said the SAFA president Danny Jordaan, “but for our football in general.”
Orlando Pirates coach Roger de Sais is expected to continue with his old formation which got them through to the final. This includes Meyiwa in goal; fullbacks and wingbacks Jele, Mahamutsa, Gcaba, Matlaba; midfielders Myeni ,Klate, Manyisa, Jali, and Segolela; and Bacela as a sole striker in front.
After tying with perilous Tunisian Esperance 0-0 in the first leg of the semi-final, the team was able to score a crucial away goal in a 1-1 tie in Tunisia, allowing them to reach the final.
Their most prolific striker is Lennox Bacela, scoring 10 goals in all competitions this season.
