Al Ahly coach Marcel Koller has insisted just because his side lost at home to Orlando Pirates it doesn’t mean they will also go down to their South African counterparts Mamelodi Sundowns.
The reigning champions missed an opportunity to end the group stages on top when the Buccaneers beat Al Ahly in Cairo, which had raised question marks over Ahly’s strength this season.
However, the Egyptian giants are 90 minutes away from securing their sixth successive final, having collected a goalless draw in the first leg of their semi-final in South Africa.
Ahead of his side’s second leg, Koller was defiant and rebuffed questions about their defeat to Pirates at home.
“It is very important not to talk about the past too much. Sundowns is not Orlando, and vice versa,” he said, as per Yallakora.
“Orlando’s victory over us in the group stage match was due to special circumstances. There was an own goal, and another goal was not counted for us because there was no VAR to review Rami Rabia’s play.”
With Al Ahly allowed to have at least 60,000 fans in the stands for tonight’s match, Koller has appealed to the club’s fans to push them over the line.
“We are very well prepared for tomorrow’s match,” he added.
“In the first leg, neither team was able to score, so we expect the match to be very intense. 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. 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 match kicks off at the Cairo International Stadium at 18:00 (SAST).
