Pitso Mosimane is aiming to reach the FIFA Club World Cup final with Al Ahly, despite suffering multiple setbacks in the build-up.
The South African coach himself will likely miss Al Ahly’s second round clash against CONCACAF champions Monterrey after testing positive for Covid-19.
The news came after Percy Tau picked up an injury that will see him miss the tournament, while Akram Tawfik, Salah Mohsen and Badr Benoun are also sidelined with injuries.
Mosimane and Al Ahly will also miss the likes of Mohamed El-Shennawy, Ayman Ashraf, Mohamed Abdelmoneim, Hamdi Fathi, Amr El-Sulya, and Mohamed Sherif who are all still at the African Cup of Nations with Egypt.
However, ‘Jingles’ has insisted he won’t be using all the absentees as an excuse, saying his side aim to reach the final and bring another medal home
“We have to stay positive and keep our chin up moving forward,” he told AD Sports, as cited by Kingfut.
“Things happen for one reason or another, it will be an 11vs11 game against Monterrey, and we have five substitutions as well, so why complain?
“Everybody knows Al Ahly has a great team, we did well last year in Qatar.
“It’s true that we are missing important players, but we have very good players in our participating squad.
“We can’t ignore history, Al Ahly’s last encounter with Monterrey wasn’t great, but we have the chance to fix our mistakes. I believe we can change history.
“We won bronze medals last year in the Club World Cup, so why not aim for different-colored medals in this edition.”
Al Ahly start their Club World Cup against Monterrey at 18:30 on Saturday, 5 February. If they would win their clash, Copa Libertadores champions Palmeiras would be their semi-final opponents.
They could meet UEFA Champions League winners Chelsea in a potential final, if both sides would win their respective semi-finals.
