Ahly striker Emad Meteb said his team were lucky to play the first three matches of the CAF Champions League group stage on home soil.

“Ahly is lucky for this draw and if we could win the first match that would boost us enough to keep winning,” the 29-year-old forward said in a video interview with his club’s official website.

The Egyptian champions had reached a draw with bitter rivals Zamalek alongside Ghana’s Chelsea and DR Congo’s TP Mazembe which they will play first on 8 July.

“Although we faced very tough circumstances recently, the last training camp under coach Hossam El-Badry in Turkey really helped the team,” Meteb added.

The experienced attacker requested that authorities should allow fans’ attendance at the upcoming important matches as they were banned since the Port Said disaster on 1 February – that left more than 70 dead and hundreds of injured after clashes between fans following a Masry-Ahly league game.

The Pharaohs can do it

Meteb also spoke about the Egyptian national team's anticipated away match against the Central African Republic (CAR) in the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers (CAN). “I hope we don’t repeat our mistakes but we are able to do it and I am sure everybody will do his best,” he said

The winners of seven CAN trophies are in a do-or-die situation as they must beat CAR by two goals in Bangui on Saturday to overturn their 3-2 home defeat in the first leg.

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