Injuries will not affect Real Madrid; Ahly will play attacking football: Coach Koller

Ahmed Abd El Rasoul , Tuesday 7 Feb 2023

Ahly coach Marcel Koller believes that Real Madrid will not be affected negatively by absence of several players in the FIFA Club World Cup semis, vowing that the Reds will adopt an attacking strategy against The Meringues.

Marcel Koller
Ahly coach Marcel Koller

 

The Reds will face the Spanish giants on Wednesday in the semifinals of the prestigious tournament in Morocco.

“We are playing strong games against big teams at the Club World Cup. There is no definite time for winning matches as you can clinch victory any time of the game,” Koller said in the pre-match press conference on Tuesday.

The Cairo giants advanced to the semifinals, their third in a row, after beating Seattle Sounders of the United States 1-0 on Saturday.

“Real Madrid will not be affected negatively by the several absentees as they have a big squad with good players in every position,” the Ahly coach explained.

A number of Real Madrid players are struggling to stay fit for the crunch showdown against Ahly due to various injuries. This includes star goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, forward Karim Benzema, defenders Eder Militao, Ferland Mendy, David Alaba and midfielders Lucas Vazquez and Aurelien Tchouameni.

“We will deploy a defensive strategy to stop our opponent’s danger, but at the same time we will attack. We know the abilities of Real players and we will work on their weak points and also will prove our worth,” the Swiss tactician Koller added.

“I will depend on rotation to avoid picking up injuries. Club World Cup gives Ahly more experiences regarding international football and this will be beneficial for us in the other competitions especially on the continental level,” the Ahly coach concluded.

It is the second time for Ahly to play against the European Champions in the Club World Cup as the Red Devils lost to Bayern Munich 2-0 in the semi-final of the 2020 edition.

Ahly, who already claimed three bronze medals in the 2006, 2020 and 2021 editions, are bidding to go all the way during their eighth appearance in the Club World Cup.

Real Madrid are the most successful club in the history of the Club World Cup, having won four titles in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018.

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