Al Ahly will look to shake off their indifferent form when they host ES Setif for a Caf Champions League semifinal, first-leg clash in Cairo on the evening of Saturday 7 May.
Kick-off at the Al Salam Stadium is at 9pm CAT live on SuperSport.
MATCH BACKGROUND
Ahly – chasing a third successive African crown and a record-extending 11th overall – narrowly ousted Raja Casablanca 3-2 on aggregate in the quarterfinals and come into this clash having underwhelmed in recent weeks.
Pitso Mosimane’s side has managed just one win from their last five matches across all competitions, piling pressure on the South African tactician. Their last outing was a 1-1 draw away to Ceramica Cleopatra in the Egyptian Premier League last weekend.
ES Setif, meanwhile, provided a major surprise in the previous round when they defeated Esperance de Tunis 1-0 on aggregate.
The Algerian side’s watertight defence and incredible team spirit pulled them through against the heavily-fancied Tunisian giants, and they will be hoping those same qualities come to the fore against Al Ahly.
Ethiopian referee Bamlak Tessema Weyesa will take charge of the match in the Egyptian capital on Saturday night. The return game will be held at Stade du 5 Juillet in Algiers on Saturday 14 May. The aggregate winners will advance to the final on 29 May and face either Petro de Luanda or Wydad Casablanca.
PATH TO THE SEMIFINALS
Al Ahly breezed past Niger’s USGN 7-2 on aggregate in the second preliminary round (having been given a bye for the first) and were then drawn alongside Mamelodi Sundowns, Al Hilal and Al Merrikh in group A.
The group stage did not go as planned for the Red Devils (whose campaign was somewhat disrupted by participating in the Fifa Club World Cup), as they could only come home in second place behind the South African champions, who completed a ‘double’ over the Egyptian giants. Nonetheless, Ahly were comfortable qualifiers ahead of the Sudanese clubs.
In the quarterfinal, the Cairo side secured a 2-1 home win over Raja Casablanca in the first leg, with goals from Amr El Solia and Hussein El Shatah, while the return game in Morocco ended 1-1 – Raja looked on course for victory after Fabrice Ngoma’s early goal, but a leveller just before halftime from Ahly’s Mohamed Abdelmonem took the wind out of their sails and secured a 3-2 aggregate triumph.
ES Setif defeated Gambia’s Fortune FC (5-4 on penalties after a 3-3 aggregate draw) and Mauritania’s FC Nouadhibou (on away goals after a 3-3 draw) in the preliminary rounds, before being drawn in group B alongside Raja Casablanca, AmaZulu and Horoya.
The Black Eagles finished second in the group behind Raja with a mixed record of three wins and three losses – their clutch results were back-to-back home wins over AmaZulu and Horoya in March which got them over the line.
The Algerians then provided a major upset in the quarterfinals: they were major underdogs against Tunisia’s Esperance de Tunis and were almost written off completely when they could only draw 0-0 at home in the first leg. However, the return game in Tunis saw the Black Eagles pinch an early goal through Abdelmouneme Djabou and hold out for a 1-0 triumph against the Blood and Gold.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
ES Setif – Riad Benayad
The 25-year-old attacker is ES Setif’s leading scorer in the Caf Champions League this season, having struck three goals. His pace and elusive movement gives the Algerians an attacking outlet, while he will also work hard for the team out of possession.
Al Ahly – Mohamed Abdelmonem
The year 2022 has been a great one for the defender, who was a key man for Egypt in their run to the Africa Cup of Nations final, and has continued that vein of form at club level. His assured presence at the back and aerial threat from attacking set pieces will be prominent in this clash.
WHAT THE TEAMS ARE SAYING
Al Ahly coach Mosimane acknowledges the difficulties his side has faced, but is adamant that the criticism they are enduring will spur them on to succeed in the CAFCL:
“The problem isn’t the performance, it’s the fact that we are wasting a lot of chances,” said Mosimane. “We created a lot of chances but we didn’t score. To me, a bad performance is not creating many chances. I understand that we are losing points we should get, and I agree with that. I am a professional, I see that and it’s a concern for me. Yes, we are not scoring the chances we are supposed to score, but it won’t determine our future. Also, good criticism is a source of motivation to me and my players.”
ES Setif coach Darko Novic has explained the thinking behind his team’s defeat of Esperance, and how they plan to move forward against Al Ahly:
“We studied our opponent well beforehand and opted for a defence in the zone with tight lines in order to reduce the spaces,” said the Serbian tactician. “It was then a question of waiting for the right moment to make the difference by taking advantage of the mistakes of Esperance. After the advantage was acquired, it was enough to maintain our lead until the final whistle. We will now try to continue the rest of the course with the same determination and the same spirit.”
HEAD-TO-HEAD STATS
In head-to-head terms, Ahly and Setif have met in three matches dating back to 2015. The first was the Caf Super Cup, which ended 1-1 (before the Algerians won on penalties), while matches two and three were in the semifinals of the 2018 CAFCL – the Egyptians won 2-0 at home in the first leg, while the return game was won 2-1 by Setif, with Ahly taking the tie 3-2 overall.