Preview: Ahly take on ES Setif with a laser focus on first-ever Champions League hat-trick

Mahmoud Sheleib , Friday 13 May 2022

Ahly, who seem to be an easy mission against ES Setif in Algeria on Saturday in the second leg of the African Champions League semifinal, are focused on winning a third consecutive African title.

Ahly v Setif
Players vies for the ball during the CAF Champions League semi-final match between Egypt s al-Ahly and Algeria s ES Setif at the al-Salam stadium in Cairo on May 7, 2022. (AFP)

Last week, Ahly smashed the Algerian side with four goals to no reply in the first leg of the African Champions League semifinal in Cairo.

However, the Reds’ skipper Mohamed El-Shennawi said in the pre-match press conference on Friday that the team has put aside the big home win, stressing that the away game will be very tough.

“The fans presence will be large and motivating for Setif, but we’ve played in such atmosphere before and we are able to deal with it,” El-Shennawi added.

“We want to score goals in the away game, and not allow the Algerian team to score," the 33-year-old international said.

“We’re hoping to create history for ourselves by winning the third African Champions League title in row, and the 11th African title for Ahly,” he added.

Meanwhile, Ahly's South African coach Pitso Mosimane has warned his players of underestimating the opponent, advising them to forget about the result of the home game.

“History has many stories - that Ahly knows well, whether technical staff or players - which witnessed a change in results from losing by four to winning by five,” Mosimane argued during the pre-match press conference.

“ES Setif is a strong and big team and we came to Algeria to win and score goals. It may be difficult to face the opponent in the midst of its fans and at its stadium, but we will play to score goals and return to Cairo qualified for the final,” he added.

On Friday, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced it has rejected a request from the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) to host the CAF final in Cairo instead of Morocco.

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