Ahly winger Hussein El-Shahat (Ahly official website)
The two-time defending African champions will start their mission in the tournament directly in the second round, after UAE champions and host of the tournament Al Jazira face Auckland City of New Zealand in the opening first round game on 3 February.
“When we claimed the bronze medal of the FIFA Club World Cup, we promised our supporters to win the next edition of the CAF Champions League to return again to the prestigious tournament. We will do our best to achieve the dream of winning its title,” El-Shahat said during an interview with Al Ahram Al Riyadi magazine.
The Cairo giants will face the winner of the Concacaf Champions League, CF Monterrey of Mexico, in the second round of the FIFA Club World Cup on 5 February, according to the draw held in Zurich last week.
“CF Monterrey is a big team, but there are no [pre-determined outcomes] in football so we will fight on the field to reach the final and compete for the title,” the Ahly winger added.
Ahly has enjoyed a perfect start in the Egyptian Premier League this season as they are now leading the league’s table with a perfect 18 points, five points ahead of second-placed Zamalek.
“Ahly made a perfect start in the league by achieving big results against Ismaily and Zamalek,”
“It’s a good reference, but we shouldn’t count on those victories as the league competition needs endurance and we deal with every game individually according to the quality of our opponents,”
The Red Devils defeated their arch-rivals and title holders Zamalek 5-3 in the third matchday of the Egyptian Premier League last November.
“Beating Zamalek with five goals gave Ahly a great motivation at the start of the league, but we have to be cautious to avoid any mistakes to continue leading the table,” El-Shahat said.
Egypt’s Ahly are set to face Morocco's Raja in the 2021 African Super Cup game on 22 December in Qatari capital Doha.
“The game against Raja will be difficult, especially since it will be played in one game to decide the champion,”
“The game is very important for Ahly supporters, who always ask for more trophies,” the 29-year-old, who joined Ahly in the January transfer window of 2019 season, said.
Ahly, who retained their Champions League crown after beating South Africa's Kaizer Chiefs 3-0 in last season's final, are also the reigning Super Cup champions, having beaten Morocco's RS Berkane 2-0 last May in a game that also took place in Doha.
The Red Devils have the record for most African Super Cup wins with seven titles while Raja has won the competition twice.
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