Egypt’s Harras El-Hodoud begin their quest to end their Confederation Cup jinx at home to Ethiopian side Dedebit in the first leg of the competition’s round of 32.
The military team is determined to go far in Africa’s secondary club competition after they were eliminated from the group stage during the past three seasons.
El-Hodoud will host Dedebit in Cairo instead of Alexandria for security reasons.
“I hope that we can clinch the title this time,” the team’s coach Tarek El-Ashri was quoted as saying by Egyptian media on Saturday.
“Our players are motivated to deliver outstanding performance. We need the fans’ support as we aim for a comfortable advantage in the first leg.”
All football activities in Egypt have been halted since the 25th January uprising, which forced former president Hosni Mubarak to step down but negatively affected the clubs’ preparations for their African commitments.
The Egyptian Cup champions could only play friendly games due to lack of competitive action. They were beaten 1-0 by Cairo giants Ahly before settling for a 1-1 draw with Ismaily.
The Alexandria-based club will have striker Ahmed Abd El-Ghany available after he recovered from a knee injury, but they will miss forward Ahmed Eid Abd El Malek who faces two months on the sidelines.
The second leg will be played in Ethiopia on 1,2 or 3 April.
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