ALGERIA — Defending champions Al-Ahly of Egypt finished preparations in readiness for their clash against Algeria’s ES Setif on Saturday in the second leg of the CAF Champions League semi-final at 9:00pm Cairo Local Time at Stade du 5 Juillet 1962 in Algiers.
Al-Ahly had a massive 4-0 advantage over Algeria’s ES Setif heading into the second-leg in Algiers on Saturday.
Defending champions Al-Ahly has one foot in the final courtesy of their four-star performance, anchored by South African star Percy Tau.
Tau put up a man of the match performance with two goals and two assists and will look for a similar show when the side plays in Algiers.
Legendary South African coach Pitso Mosimane is seeking his third consecutive Champions League trophy with Al-Ahly and fourth as a coach and victory in Algeria will be another step in the right direction.
Setif, winners of the Champions League in 1988 and 2014 will need a massive performance at home to overturn a four-goal deficit and progress to the final.
They will need to win the game by a margin of more than five goals to ensure a place in the finale.
In the Champions League at home, Setif has won three, drawn one and lost one of their last five matches.
The last meeting between these two sides in Algeria was in 2018 where Setif won 2-1. Ahead of Saturday’s duel, they will need to summon these spirits and more, to overturn the massive deficit against the Red Devils.
Ahly has a chequered away record in the Champions League, having won only one of their last four games on the road. But, with a four goal cushion, they are more than confident that they will punch a ticket to the final.
Morocco will play host to the final of the 2022 CAF Champions League on May 30, a CAF official confirmed last Tuesday.
This is after Senegal withdrew its bid to host the game.
“CAF received offers from Senegal and Morocco and, after the subsequent withdrawal of the Senegalese offer, Morocco was awarded the organising rights,” the spokesman said.
CAF did not specify the city that would host the game.
Egypt’s Al-Ahly, ten-time African champions, won the final of the previous edition last July against South Africa’s Kaizer Chiefs (3-0) at Casablanca’s Mohammed-V stadium.
The decision to hold a second consecutive Champions League final in Morocco will not sit well with the defending champions, who are likely to face Moroccan club Wydad Casablanca in the final.
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