Egyptian giants Al-Ahly finished preparations in readiness for their match against Algeria’s ES Setif in the first-leg of CAF Champions League semi-final in Cairo on Saturday at 9:00pm Cairo Local Time, while two-time champions Wydad Club Athletic will be up against Petro de Luanda.
Pitso Mosimane’s side secured their passage to the semis after a hard fight against Raja Casablanca.
Title-holders Al-Ahly hasn’t had the most spectacular run in the Champions League this season, but have nonetheless got the job done in their bid to win a historic third consecutive title.
They finished second in their group and squeezed through into the quarters with a 3-2 aggregate win over Raja Club Athletic.
Al-Ahly has a good record playing the semis, as they have won 11 of their 12 matches in the last four stage, CAF online reported.
This will be the fourth continental meeting between the two sides and Setif boats of a slight edge, having won two and drawn one of those games while Ahly has won once.
Setif are meanwhile looking to upset
the odds especially since the arrival of their new coach Darko Novic. Novic
faced Ahly in the 2007 season as he was an assistant coach Libyan club Al
Ittihad when they lost against Ahly, also in the semis.
Novic is the third coach used by two-time African champions Setif this season after Tunisian Nabil Kouki, axed following a group loss to AmaZulu in South Africa, and Algerian caretaker Redha Bendris.
Source: The Egyptian Gazette
