The African Champions League title will not go away from the teams in the north of the continent for the eighth consecutive season, when the defending champion, Al-Ahly of Egypt, and its host, Esperance of Tunisia, face off on Saturday at the Hammadi Al-Aqrabi Stadium in Rades in the first leg of a “classic final” of the competition. The “Ghoul of Africa” will seek to seize precedence from the “Club of the Century” before the return match in Cairo, while the Egyptian club will search for a result that will facilitate the return match. This is the third final between the two teams, after 2012, when Al-Ahly won 3-2 on aggregate, and in 2018, when Esperance overcame a 1-3 deficit in Cairo and won in Rades 3-0.
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Esperance Sports Club of Tunisia – Al-Ahly Al-Masry has become a classic confrontation in various roles African Champions League Especially in the last decade, this Saturday the two teams will face off in the third final since 2012 in the “Stade Rades” in the southern suburb of the Tunisian capital.
Al-Ahly is searching for its fourth title in the last five editions and the record twelfth in its history, while Esperance is chasing its fifth title and first since 2019.
The final between the Egyptian and Tunisian giants will be repeated for the third time, after 2012, when Al-Ahly won 3-2 on aggregate, and in 2018, when Esperance overcame a deficit in the match. Cairo 1-3 and won in Rades 3-0 to win its third title.
Al-Ahly will compete in the final for the fifth time in a row (a record) and the seventeenth in its history, proving its specialization in the continental competition.
The “Red Devils” topped their group, then ousted Tanzania’s Simba in the quarter-finals (1-0, 2-0) and surpassed Congolese Mazembe in the semi-finals (0-0, 3-0).
On the other hand, the “Bab Souika” team’s path was difficult, as it finished second in its group behind Angola’s Peters Atletico, then eliminated Ivory Coast club ASEC Mimosas from the quarter-finals on penalties after a goalless draw in the two matches, and in the semi-finals it shocked Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa and ousted them by defeating them back and forth. With one score 1-0.
Historically, the two teams have faced each other on 24 occasions. The Red Giants won 12 matches, Esperance only four times, and they tied 8 times.
A solid defense for the “Ghoul of Africa”
Esperance, led by its Portuguese coach Miguel Cardoso, is seeking to repeat the result against Sundowns, who were an extraordinary candidate to achieve the title, especially after opening the season with the African League title.
The team is relying on its strong defense, led by Algerian Mohamed Togay and Yacine Meriah, and behind them is the brilliant goalkeeper Aman Allah Mamish.
Esperance kept a clean sheet in 11 out of 12 matches (losing to Al Hilal of Sudan 1-3), as it plays in a balanced manner that relies on closing its area and narrowing the spaces, especially against attacking teams.
The “Blood and Gold” team relies offensively on the Brazilians Yann Sass and Rodrigo Rodriguez, the pivotal Algerian midfielder Houssem Ghecha, the veteran Ghilan Chaalali and the Togolese Roger Aholo, as well as the full-backs Mohamed Ben Ali and Mohamed Amine Ben Hamida.
Cardoso described qualifying with Esperance to the final as “the biggest achievement in my career.” Regarding the final, he said, “Caution will be essential against Al-Ahly, which is experienced in tournaments and knows how to win them.”
The Portuguese coach added, “We know very well the difficulty of returning to Cairo Stadium, because it is always full of all Al-Ahly fans.”
In turn, defender Meriah said in radio statements, “We must be mentally and physically present, because Al-Ahly is a big team that has its own traditions in this tournament, and Esperance also has a great history, and I hope that we will be the most focused.”
Esperance will also count on increasing the number of its fans from 27,000 to 34,000 spectators after the authorities permit.
Century Club is looking for a positive result from Rades
Achieving a positive result in the first leg is what Al-Ahly aspires to before the second leg in Cairo. However, the red team is fully aware that the match will be difficult as it has experienced the atmosphere of Rades repeatedly, especially in the 2018 final. Despite this, the Egyptian team is considered the most likely to win the title.
Swiss coach Marcel Kohler, who is seeking his second successive title with the team, pointed out, “Every competitor in the Champions League raises the level of their game against Al-Ahly. We are the most successful club in Africa, so everyone wants to win against us.”
Kohler (he took over in September 2022) will supervise the team in the 100th match in various tournaments.
Like the young goalkeeper Mamish, a young talent shines in Al-Ahly’s goalkeeper, namely Mustafa Ahmed Schubert, who took responsibility following the absence of the giant Mohamed El-Shenawy due to injury, and devoted himself to the starting lineup, as he did not concede a goal in six continental matches this season.
If Esperance was superior defensively, the Egyptian team had a strong offensive line, as it scored 19 goals on its way to the final, compared to only nine for Esperance.
11 players scored Al-Ahly’s goals, most notably Hussein Al-Shahat (5) and Mahmoud Abdel Moneim “Kahraba” (4).
Kohler’s squad will be almost complete with the return of Malian midfielder Aliou Dieng, to form an addition to the “Red Vanilla”, which also includes Palestinian striker Wissam Abu Ali, French veteran Anthony Modest, and Al-Shahat or Moroccan Reda Slim.
At the back, the Tunisian veteran Ali Maaloul, Mohamed Abdel Moneim, Rami Rabia and Mohamed Hani are relied upon.
Rabiaa told the club’s website, “Esperance and Al-Ahly are two big teams, so the confrontation is difficult, but we are seeking to win.” Tunisia In order to facilitate the task of facing the return leg.”
As for his colleague Al-Shahat, he confirmed the team’s readiness to play the two matches, and added, “It is usual for us to confront Esperance in the final rounds, but we will not play for a draw. We will play for a win, with our full respect for Esperance.”
France 24/AFP
France 24/AFP
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