It is the second successive title decider between the north African giants and third in seven seasons,
Al Ahly will lock horns with Wydad Casablanca in the 2022/2023 CAF Champions League final on Sunday night.
The first-leg match of the African club football’s great showpiece will be at the Cairo International Stadium in Egypt.
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There will be a sense of deja vu when Ahly take on defending champions Wydad Casablanca in the Champions League final tonight.
Al Ahly, who are playing in the finals for the fourth time in a row, booked their place in the final after tournament favourites Esperance de Tunis 4-0 on aggregate.
The Egyptian giants had won the first leg of the last four 3-0 away before emerging 1-0 victorious in the second-leg clash in Cairo a fortnight ago.
Marcel Kohler, the Al Ahly head coach, will likely unleash hard-working forward striker Percy Tau against Wydad.
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USMA won on the away goals rule to secure a first continental title in their history
The South African forward was outstanding in the semifinal victory over Esperance of Tunisia.
However, the Red Eagles will be missing the services of influential captain Mohamed El-Shennawy due to a calf injury that kept him out of action in the semifinal second leg against the Blood and Gold.
However, coach Kohler believes the experience of his squad will stand them in good stead in a potentially explosive encounter.
“I have watched many of their matches to study them and I know they are one of the strongest teams in the Continent. It will be a difficult match but we will strive with all our might to achieve victory in the first leg,” the tactician said.
“Many people doubted our ability during the group stages, but we were able to march on and work hard to be where we are today. We want to continue in this same form for the next two matches,” Koller opined.
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He will be hoping for a much-improved performance in Paris Diamond League.
Meanwhile, Wydad, who won this tournament last year by beating Al Ahly 2-0 in a one-off match, advanced to the final after defeating South African champions Mamelodi Sundowns 2-2 on aggregate.
The first leg of the semifinal tie had ended in a goalless draw, but the Moroccans were able to force a 2-2 stalemate in Pretoria to sneak through to the final.
Wydad coach Sven Vandenbroeck will look too exciting forward Mohammed Ounnajemto to lead the team’s attack.
The striker has scored crucial goals in this year’s campaign, and his presence is once again expected to be essential for the Moroccans, especially as they need a vital away goal to keep their dreams of a third title alive.
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Her Personal Best time over the distance currently stands at 14.23.
However, they will be without the services of dependable midfielder Abdullah Hamoud who underwent surgery for appendicitis.
“All players who play for Wydad have good quality and anyone can be in the starting 11. It (Hamoud’s) is a loss for us because he gives us good balance both offensively and defensively. But, his health is more important. We have a rich team and there will be someone to replace him,” said coach Vandenbroeck.
Both sides have met nine times before and have won three times, while Al Ahly has won four and two games in a share of the spoils.