Fresh from a 3-0 win over Coton Sport last weekend, Cairo giants Al Ahly are now setting their sights on beating Mamelodi Sundowns.
Ahly’s director of football Sayed Abdel-Hafiz has stressed the importance of the Coton Sport victory while discussing the upcoming Sundowns clash next weekend.
The Red Devils were held by the Brazilians in Cairo, about a fortnight ago, and they will now be gunning for a win to boost their knockout qualification hopes.
The win over the Cameroon side put Ahly’s Champions League campaign back on track as the club now sits third in their group, two points behind Al Hilal and three behind Sundowns.
Their next game will come against coach Rulani Mokwena’s troops in Tshwane on March 11, with the Reds having no option but to at least pick up a draw to keep their qualification chances alive.
“An essential win at a crucial time. We had no choice but to win after the Al Hilal loss and then drawing with Sundowns,” said Abdel-Hafiz.
“The Coton game was challenging in light of the group’s circumstances, but the qualification is still in our hands.
“In the last three Champions Leagues that we won (2013, 2020, and 2021), we faced the same difficulties in the group stage, and despite that, we qualified in the end.
“For example, in 2013, there were difficult circumstances and had Zamalek with us in the same group, and we draw in the opening game, and then lost to Orlando, but we qualified.
“The next Sundowns game, we will go with only one goal, which is to achieve a positive result, but we hope that we can pick up a win because it will put us in another place.”
Meanwhile, the reigning DStv Premiership champions have called on all football supporters to come to the stadium.
The Tshwane giants have called on their fans to wear yellow for them to gain free entry at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Saturday at 15:00.
Sundowns are yet to lose in Group B as they sit at the second spot with seven points from two wins and one draw.
Main Image: Percy Tau/Goal.Com
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