Al Ahly coach Marcel Koller is expecting an intense match between his side and Mamelodi Sundowns in the 2nd leg of their CAF Champions League semi-final tie at the Cairo International stadium on Friday evening.
The sides played to a goalless draw in the first leg at Loftus Versfeld Stadium last week, leaving the deciding fixture open for either side to take.
Sundowns have been eliminated at this stage in the last two successive seasons while the Red Devils are vying for a sixth final in succession.
The Cairo International Stadium will be packed to 75 000 capacity with Koller saying the Egyptian side will definitely need their 12th man from the first whistle.
“In the first leg neither team was able to score so, we expect the match to be very intense,” said Koller.
“However, we will play at home in front of our fans who will fill the stands. We appeal to the fans from the first moment to the last moment of the match to help the team perform at its best.
“Our goal is to reach the final and we will do everything we can to achieve that.”
The two sides have met on 15 occasions with Ahly winning four times, Sundowns five times and the other six encounters ending in draws. A win for Sundowns or a goal draw will see the South African league champions advance to the final.
Koller however says stats do not matter this time around as Ahly want to win in every sense of the word.
“It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve faced a team and haven’t won what matters is that we know what we’re aiming for tomorrow,” added the coach.
“Our goal is to win in every sense of the word because any draw will be in Sundowns’ favour, except for a goalless draw, which will take us to penalties, a scenario we don’t prefer at all and don’t seek.
“We will prepare the players to bring out their best in terms of focus and performance in the match, in order to achieve our goal of winning and qualifying for the final. I know that we will face a strong team, but we are also a strong team, and all players must be at their peak to make the fans happy.
“We do not care about statistics and how long it has been since we won. What matters is who wins tomorrow’s match.”
