Al Ahly hoping to bounce back against Al Hilal in match day 2 of CAF Champions League after suffering a first game defeat to Etoile
Almost 32 years after they face each other in the CAF Champions League final, neighbors Al Ahly of Egypt and Al Hilal of Sudan lock horns in the match day 2 of 2019-20 Total CAF Champions League Group B on Friday 6 December 2019 at the Cairo based Al Salam Stadium.
In December 1987, Al Ahly lifted their second Champions League title defeating Al Hilal 2-0 on aggregate in the final. After a goalless draw in Omdurman, Al Ahly (then led by all-time legend and current club president Mahmoud Elkhateeb) won the reverse leg in Cairo 2-0 to add a second title after 1982.
The Cairo Red Devils are now seeking their ninth title in the Champions League, while their opponents Al Hilal are still chasing their first haven lost the 1992 Champions League final.
The two sides also played again in the 2007 CAF Champions League group stage as each side won at home. Al Ahly won 2-0 in Cairo and Al Hilal led 3-0 in Omdurman, and they were through together to the semifinal then.
This time round, a defeat or draw for the Ahly would make their chances into the knockout stage slimmer after losing to Etoile in the first game, the Red Devils are hoping to revive their journey by beating Al Hilal tomorrow. But the away side are also aware of building on their day 1 result, beating Platinum of Zimbabwe 2-1 in Omdurman last Friday.
Ahly’s loss Etoile stopped their series of seven straight wins across all competitions. Rene Weiler’s men returned to winning ways in domestic scene midweek, beating Bani Suef 3-1 in Egypt Cup.
Meanwhile Al Hilal will hope their talismanic Mohamed Eldai to be inform once again this Friday. Against Platinum, Eldai had just two shots on target, but finished the night scoring a brace and guiding his side to top the group.
Platinum entertains Etoile du Sahel in Bulawayo on Saturday (7 December 2019) in the other group match.
Source: CAFonline
