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Pirates head back to arena of glory

football12 December 2024 17:10| © Mzansi Football
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Pirates in Action @ Gallo Images

Orlando Pirates are among the clubs looking to move closer to securing a quarterfinal place in the African Champions League this weekend, even if they are away in the Ivory Coast.

Along with the likes of defending champions Al Ahly and their Egyptian compatriots Pyramids, Esperance of Tunisia, Royal Armed Forces from Morocco and Sudan’s Al Hilal, the Buccaneers will be hoping to have progress to the knockout phase of the competition all but finalised by the end of the third round of pool matches.

But for a trio of former champions – Mamelodi Sundowns, Raja Casablanca and TP Mazembe – this weekend is crunch time after tepid starts to the group campaign.

Games on Saturday and Sunday mark the halfway point of the round, except Al Ahly’s clash with Algeria’s Chabab Belouizdad, which has been put back a week and will be played on Sunday, 22 December.

That is because the Cairo giants are in Qatar this weekend to take on Pahuca of Mexico in the semifinal of the Intercontinental Cup, which has been introduced by Fifa to bridge the gap before next year’s new-look, and vastly expanded, Club World Cup.

If Al Ahly beat the Mexican club in Doha on Saturday, they will take on European champions Real Madrid in the final next Wednesday.

Ahly share the lead in Group C in the Champions League with Pirates with both on four points from their opening two games

Pirates on Saturday will return to the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium, site of their fabled 1995 win in the old-style African Champions Cup, where they will be taking on Stade Abidjan.

Pirates were heavy underdogs as they went to Abidjan for the return leg of the final against ASEC Abidjan some 29 years ago.

They had been held to a 2-2 draw at Soccer City in the first leg, after which they sacked coach Joe Frickleton.

But Pirates pulled off a famous win in the return as Mark Fish’s hacked clearance bounced perfectly for Jerry Sikhosana to go round the defence and score one of the most important goals in the history of South African football.

The stadium has since been spruced up, notably for the Africa Cup of Nations finals which the Ivorians hosted at the start of the year.

Pirates’ opponents Stade Abidjan have lost their opening two games as they compete in the pool stages for the first time, although they did win the Champions Cup back in 1966.

AL HILAL LOOKING TO STAY PERFECT

Al Hilal, despite their exile from war-torn Sudan, are the only side with a 100 per cent record, having won both games in Group A.

They followed their initial victory away in Tanzania over Young Africans with success at ‘home’ in the Mauritanian capital Nouakchott over TP Mazembe last Sunday with a dramatic late winner from youthful Burundian striker Jean Claude Girumugisha.

Al Hilal are away on Saturday at Mouloudia Alger, who sit second in the standings.

One point for four-time champions Mazembe after two matches puts them in peril but they can get themselves back on course with victory on Saturday at home in Lubumbashi against Young Africans.

The Tanzanian club have lost their opening pair of fixtures in a disappointing start for new coach Sead Ramovic.

Sundowns will have a new coach in charge after firing Manqoba Mngqithi and appointing the Tunisian Miguel Cardoso in his place this week.

Cardoso took Esperance to the final last year so has some pedigree in the competition but faces a tough task in his first game as Sundowns host Raja in Group B at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Sunday.

Both clubs are looking for their first success and will be aware defeat could be a death knell to their chances.

Group leaders Royal Armed Forces are away at Maniema Union of the Democratic Republic of Congo on Saturday in Kinshasa.

In Group D, the joint leaders Esperance and Pyramids clash in Tunis.

Pyramids’ veteran goalkeeper Sherif Ekramy preserved the draw last week at Djoliba in Mali with a stunning late save.

After the trip to Bamako, Pyramids headed straight for Tunis so have been preparing for the whole week in the Tunisian capital.

Esperance will be without their Brazilian import Yan Sasse, who is injured, but will have Bafana international Elias Mokwana in their line-up.

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