Speaking at a pre-match press conference on Friday, Thorup said the Egyptian champions are fully focused on Saturday’s away clash against Tanzania’s Young Africans in the fourth round of the group stage.
“Tanzania is a beautiful country and I may come back to visit it later, but for now my focus is on achieving a win with my team,” Thorup said.
Ahly have recorded two consecutive victories, beating Young Africans 2-0 in the reverse fixture earlier this month, results that have strengthened their grip on Group B.
“We have achieved two consecutive wins, which puts us in a good position. We scored two goals against Young Africans in the previous match and delivered a good performance,” the Danish coach added.
Thorup warned, however, that the upcoming match would be challenging, citing the quality of the hosts. “We know the match will be difficult, and from what we saw in the last game, it is clear that Young Africans have good players,” he said.
Commenting on Emam Ashour’s absence from the travelling squad, Thorup confirmed disciplinary measures had been taken. “The player made a mistake. From my first day here, I said no one is above the team. The player will be punished, and that is enough for now,” he said.
Ahly later announced that Ashour had been suspended for two weeks and fined EGP 1.5 million after failing to travel with the team despite being named in the squad. The midfielder will train individually during the suspension period.
Thorup also acknowledged that the team’s cohesion dipped briefly following the international break but said performances had since improved. “We then played a good league match, and now we are preparing strongly to face Young Africans again,” he said.
Ahly top Group B with seven points, while Young Africans are second on four.
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