File photo: Esperance s forward Hamdou Elhouni (L) and Esperance s midfielder Fousseny Coulibaly vie for the ball against Ahly s forward Taher Mohamed (C) during the first leg CAF champions league semi-final football match between Tunisia s Esperance Sportive de Tunis and Egypt s al-Ahly at the Olympic Stadium in Rades on the eastern outskirts of Tunisia s capital Tunis on June 19, 2021. (Photo: AFP)
“We are ready for the two games against Esperance. Our goal is to reach the final and win it in order to participate in the FIFA Club World Cup,” Komsan was quoted as saying on the club’s official website on Thursday.
Ahly, the winners of 10 CAF Champions League titles, have made eight appearances in the prestigious club world cup, reaching the semifinals on four occasions – last in 2022 – and winning three bronze medals and fourth place twice.
The next FIFA Club World Cup is set to be played in Saudi Arabia in December of 2023.
“We want to achieve a positive result in Tunisia and build on that in the second leg at home in Cairo,” stressed the 47-year-old assistant coach, who has been in the position since 2018.
‘Our method as Ahly is ‘we achieve gaols by plotting one step at a time’,” Komsan explained.
Esperance: Tough opponent regardless
The Tunisian side, who won the CAF Champions League four times, enters the game against Ahly on Friday without the services of key players such as Hamdou Elhouni and Riad Benayad.
Plus, they will be missing their fans since the game will be played behind closed doors as the CAF penalized the Tunisian side for a recent fan riot.
Overall, the Tunisian side has been going through a rough patch recently, having failed to win in their last three games across all competitions.
“Esperance’s struggles and poor results as of late do not mean much because the Tunisian side has enough experience in winning big games,” Komsan told reporters.
The second leg of the CAF Champions League semifinal will be played at Cairo International Stadium on 19 May.
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