Ahly hold the advantage in the tie, having secured a narrow 1-0 win in the first leg in Tanzania last week, thanks to midfielder Ahmed "Koka" Nabil's fourth-minute strike that proved to be the decisive goal.

The Cairo giants, the favorites to successfully defend their title, are determined to achieve victory in the upcoming game to propel their chances of extending their Champions League crown to a new record of 12 times.

However, they will face some challenges as they will be without injured goalkeeper Mohamed El-Shennawy, midfielders Emam Ashour, Aliou Dieng, and Karim "Nedved" Walid, as well as defender Yasser Ibrahim.

On the positive side, Tunisian forward Mohamed Dhaoui and Palestinian striker Wessam Abou Ali will be available for the match after recovering from their injuries.

Despite their first-leg triumph, the Red Devils' Swiss coach, Marcel Koller, anticipates a tough encounter against Simba.

"I expect the match against Simba to be very difficult, just like the first leg," Koller said in the pre-match press conference on Thursday.

He also cautioned his players against complacency and stressed the importance of maintaining focus and determination. "I informed the players of this immediately after the match in Tanzania. We need to be fully concentrated and determined to finish the job," he added.

On the other hand, the Tanzanian champions are expected to give their all to secure a victory and overturn the result, having showcased their prowess in the first leg by keeping the defending champions pinned in their own half for the majority of the match.

Simba's Algerian coach, Abdelhak Benchikha, expressed his determination to fight for a positive outcome. "We'll enter the second leg with the sole aim of obtaining a positive result and qualifying for the semifinals," Benchikha said in a press conference.

Ahly need either a win or a draw to progress to the semifinals, where they will face the winner between Petro Atletico and TP Mazembe.

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