Al-Ahly club’s first football team will play an important and anticipated confrontation today, Sunday, against Algeria’s CS Belouizdad in the African Champions League.
Cairo International Stadium will host the match between Al-Ahly and Shabab Belouizdad in the postponed third round match between them in the group stage of the African Champions League.
Al-Ahly enters tonight’s confrontation and has no alternative but to win in order to reconcile its fans and get rid of the “frustration” of the Mexican Pachuca match in the 2024 Intercontinental Cup.
The Red Giants were close to a historic qualification for the Intercontinental Final, but the dream was lost due to a dramatic penalty shootout against Pachuca of Mexico.
Win = lead
Tonight’s confrontation represents special importance for Al-Ahly, led by Marcel Kohler, because its victory over CS Belouizdad means its return to the top of its group in the African Champions League.
The Red Giants opened their campaign in the Champions League groups by winning 4-2 at Abidjan Stadium, then drawing 0-0 with Orlando Pirates.
On the other hand, CS Belouizdad, under the leadership of its coach Abdelkader Amrani, is looking to get a valuable point from the Cairo International Stadium against the defending champion.
CR Belouizdad started their campaign in the group stage with a loss to Orlando Pirates with a score of 2-1, then won against Abidjan Stadium with a score of 1-0.
Al-Ahly coach Marcel Kohler knows very well that facing Belouizdad represents a great challenge in light of the state of sadness that has gripped the players in recent days.
Kohler said: “The match is a great challenge, but we are confident in our ability to achieve victory, and we strive to achieve victory over CS Belouizdad.”
He added: “The team and the technical staff were in a state of sadness after the Pachuca match, and the period between the Challenge Cup and CS Belouizdad matches was sufficient for preparation, and we will make every effort to achieve victory and make the fans happy.”
Kohler: We are confident in our ability to win… and I corrected the players’ mistakes
History of Al-Ahly and CS Belouizdad
Al-Ahly met Chabab Belouizdad in 4 previous matches in the African Champions League. The Red Giants won in two matches during the 2001 edition with a score of 1-0.
In the last two matches of the last edition of the African Champions League, Al-Ahly failed to achieve victory over CS Belouizdad, and was unable to score a goal either after the two matches ended in a goalless draw.
300 minutes without goals
Al-Ahly is looking to regain the tone of scoring against its competitors after missing 3 matches in all competitions, in which it was unable to score.
The Red Team did not score any goals in the last 3 matches against Al-Ahly Bank (90 minutes), Orlando Pirates (90 minutes), and Pachuca (120 minutes), all of which ended in a goalless draw.
Note that the Pachuca match ended in regular and extra time without goals, and was decided by penalty kicks in favor of the Mexican team.
Match card:
The two sides of the meeting: Al-Ahly vs. Chabab Belouizdad
Event: The third round of the group stage of the African Champions League
Date: December 22, 2024
Stadium: Cairo International Stadium
Time: six in the evening
Referee: Tunisian Sadiq Salmi
Broadcast channel: bein sports HD 2