Photo: Ahly official website
The Red Devils find themselves in a familiar yet precarious position, needing to overturn a 1-0 deficit following their narrow defeat in Rades on Sunday, thanks to a 73rd-minute penalty converted by Mohamed Tougai.
For the Cairo giants, the blueprint for success was laid out at Anfield on Wednesday, where Mohamed Salah and his Liverpool teammates dismantled Turkey’s Galatasaray 4-0 to advance in the UEFA Champions League quarters after overturning a first leg 1-0 loss.
Ahly’s Danish coach Jess Thorup expressed his confidence ahead of the decide.
"We lost the first half of the tie in Tunisia, but the game is still open and there is another half tomorrow in Cairo," Thorup told the pre-match press conference on Friday.
"We have prepared well, reviewed our mistakes, and are ready to elevate our offensive performance," the Danish tactician added.
The Cairo giants will almost have a full squad, except for the injured duo of Yassin Merei and Karim Fouad.
The Red Devils, who are chasing a record 13th title, will have to do without their greatest weapons as the return leg will be played behind closed doors following a CAF disciplinary two-match sanction imposed on Ahly after fan misconduct during the group stage.
Earlier this week, Ahly lodged a complaint with CAF against referee Issa Sy, who officiated Sunday’s game, criticizing the Senegalese official’s performance and accusing him of failing to protect their players and of not issuing warranted disciplinary cards to the opposition.
Esperance, on the other hand, will be seeking to use their first-leg momentum and cruise to the championship semis and eventually claim their fifth title and the first since 2019.
In a boost to the Tunisian side, veteran defender Hamza Jelasi will be available for the game after recovering from a slight knock during the first leg.
The winner of the two-legged tie will face the victor of the other quarterfinal between Mamelodi Sundowns and Stade Malien in the semi-finals, with the South African side having claimed a 3-0 win in the first leg.
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