“I am happy with Percy Tau’s readiness for the Mamelodi Sundowns game and I hope he can help the team in tomorrow’s clash,” Koller told the pre-game press conference.

Tau, 28, returned to Ahly’s squad in January after recovering from muscle problems that sidelined him in several games since December.

The former Mamelodi Sundowns player made 49 appearances with Ahly since joining the Cairo giants in August 2021 from English Premier League team Brighton. He scored 11 goals and provided six assists.

The Red Devils will face Sundowns away from home at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in South Africa in a must-win for Ahly, who are hoping to keep their hopes of reaching the quarterfinals alive.

“We know that the game against Sundowns will be difficult but we proved in the first game that we were tough opponents, and we are confident of achieving a positive result,” Koller added.

Ahly held to a 2-2 draw in the home game against Sundowns in the third round of the group stage games.

“We weren’t satisfied with first game’s result so we are searching for a positive result tomorrow,” the Swiss coach said.

“All the players are fit for the game as the coaching staff will determine the applicable lineup for the game during today’s training session,” Koller said on Friday.

Ahly are third in the Group B ranking with four points, trailing Sundowns, who are second on the table with seven points, and Sudan's Al-Hilal are in the lead with nine points. Coton Sport are currently at the bottom of the group without any points.

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