Match Preview: Al Duhail vs Al Ahly FIFA Club World Cup, Team News, Predicted Lineups and TV Coverage
African champions Al Ahly will begin the 2020 FIFA Club World Cup journey with a tricky quart-final clash with Qatar champions Al Duhail at the Education City Stadium on Thursday evening. The winner will face European champions Bayern Munich in the semifinals.
Ahly knee on bettering their previous record of 3 wins in 12 games from previous 5 appearances in the Club World Cup. The far Egyptian side have gone in the competition so far is a third place in 2006 after beating Mexican giants Club America 2-1 in fight for a third place.
Unlike Al Ahly who won a continental title- a record ninth Caf Champions League title- to appear in this World Cup, Al Duhail is appearing in the FIFA competition for first time and did so by lifting the Qatari Premier League last term.
Al Duhail won the Qatar Stars League in a close contest with Al Rayyan after amassing 52 points compared to Rayyan’s 51. With regards to losses in respective competitions that bring the two giants to the world, Al Duhail lost a total 2 league games as compared to Ahly who lost only a game in last season’s Caf Champions League.
The last time Ahly participated in the FIFA Club World Cup was eight years ago and exited to competition in the quarter-finals after been beaten 2-0 by Chinese giants Guangzhou Evergrande and also suffered a 5-1 defeat by Monterrey in fifth place clash. That was the third time Ahly finished sixth of seven clubs and hope to prevent that omen as they face similar fate this term.
The African representatives with their considerable experience in the FIFA Club World Cup have not average a goal per game, scoring a total 11 goals in their 12 matches while conceding 22, including five against Monterrey and four against another Mexican club, Pachuca.
Al Duhail need to be watchful though they qualified to the quarterfinals when their opponents in the first round and Oceania representative Auckland City FC redrew from the competition handing the Qatari side a walk over. The African giants have one of the competition’s remarkable records as they run away with the Golden Boot award in 2006’s edition when Mohamed Aboutrika netted 3 times to become the top scorer.
On domestic football this season, both Al Duhail and Al Ahly sit second on their Premier League standings but the Egyptian side are better than the Qatari outfit. Ahly with 21 points are only 2 points behind leaders Zamalek whiles Al Duhail are 13 points below Al Sadd who have 41 points in the Qatar Premier League.
Al Duhail have won 9 games, drew 1 and lost 5 after match-day 15 compared to Ahly’s stats of 6 wins and 3 draws after week 9 in the Egyptian Premier League and have a game in hand.
The Qatari side have scored a total of 37 goals as the second best scoring side behind Al Sadd who have struck 60 times so far. Meanwhile, Al Ahly are the best scoring side in the Egyptian top flight with 19 goals and the side to concede least number of goals 4 followed by Zamalek who have conceded 5 times.
Team News
Al Ahly traveled to Qatar with 23-man squad including experience stars Mohamed El Shenawy, Ali Maaloul, Hamdy Fathy, Hussein El Shahat and Kahraba. Their squad was not affected by serious injuries so as Al Duhail who also have a full house ahead of Thursday’s clash.
On Al Duhail, Lamouchi could revert back to the team which competed in their last league fixture on January 19. That would see former Bayern Munich and Juventus defender Medhi Benatia and Palmeiras loanee Dudu return to the starting lineup.
Michael Olunga will also expect to feature after his arrival from Japanese side Kashiwa Reysol.
Al Ahly traveled squad
Goalkeepers: Mohamed El Shenawy, Aly Lofty, Mostafa Shoubir
Defenders: Ahmed Ramadan, Yasser Ibrahim, Aymen Ashraf, Badr Benoun, Saad Samir, Ali Maaloul
Midfielders: Hamdy Fathy, Hussein El Shahat, Aliou Dieng, Amro Elsoulia, Mohamed Afsha, Arkam Tawfik
Forwards: Kahraba, Marwan Mohsen, Mohamed Sherif, Salah Mohsen, Walter Bwalya, Taher Mohamed, Junior Ajayi, Mohamed Hany
While the clash will not bean easy one for Al Duhail, their front man Ali Afif has admitted a difficulty game against Caf African Club of the Century. “There’s no question that Al Ahly are one of the biggest sides in Africa. They were named the continent’s club of the 20th century,” Afif told FIFA.com.
“We’ll see what happens against the African champions but it’s 11 versus 11,” he added. “If we beat Al Ahly, we’ll then play Bayern Munich, but we have to face the African champions first. We have to prepare and focus on how to play them because they’re a great side too.”
Afif was only 23 when he ran out at the FIFA Club World Cup Japan 2011, having made a big contribution to Al Sadd’s second continental title, playing eight matches in their victorious AFC Champions League campaign.
As Ahly seek redemption this week in Qatar, so will their South African coach, Pitso Mosimane. He guided Mamelodi Sundowns to the 2016 CAF Champions League title, a feat achieved only once before by a South African club.
But the Pretoria outfit came up short at the Club World Cup in Japan after falling 2-0 to Kashima Antlers from the host nation in the quarter-finals and 4-1 to Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors of South Korea to finish sixth.
While Mosimane dreams of a semi-final showdown with Bayern Munich, the former international forward must first plot the downfall of a Duhail team he considers “very strong and dangerous”.
“They have good defenders like Moroccan Medhi Benatia, who once played for Juventus, and some sharp Brazilian forwards,” said the first sub-Saharan African to coach Ahly in their 114-year history.
“A lot of our supporters are already talking about Bayern and their stars, but we can play them only if we get past Duhail, who are just as ambitious as us.
“I told my players that every Egyptian will be supporting us because we are here to represent all of them. We are also in Qatar to wave the African flag and I have received best wishes from many South Africans.”
South American champions Palmeiras of Brazil, European champions Bayern Munich of Germany, Asian champions Ulsan Hyundai of South Korea and CONCACAF champions Tigres UANL of Mexico are the other participating clubs.
Predicted Lineups
Al Duhail probable XI: Salah Zakaria Moussa (GK), Ismaeel Mohammed, Bassam Hisham, Mehdi Benatia, Ali Hassan Afif, Ahmed Karimi, Luiz Ceara, Dudu, Almoez Ali, Michael Olunga
Al Ahly probable XI: Mohamed El-Shennawi (GK), Mohamed Hani, Badr Benoun, Ayman Ashraf, Ali Maaloul, Amr El Sulaya, Hamdi Fathi, Mohamed “Afsha” Magdi – Hussein El Shahat, Taher Mohamed Taher, Mohamed Sherif
Live Coverage
Those in Africa can watch the Al Duhail-Al Ahly game live on African Union of Broadcasting (AUB) that will further be distributed to various African TV houses. Besides, the match will be live on other private TV Channels.
The game can also be watch live via online stream especially on YouTube for people who on limitation to listed TV Channels.
TV Channels
GTV Sports+ (Ghana)
BeIN Sports
SuperSport (South Africa)
StarTimes
On Time Sports (Egypt)
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