Ahly meet Monastir away from home in the first leg of the competition's second preliminary round as they begin their bid to reclaim the title they won a record 10 times.
The Red Devils came close to making it a hat-trick of straight triumphs last season, which would have been an unprecedented feat in the continent, only to lose to Morocco's Wydad in the final.
That loss in Casablanca marked the first crack in the relationship between then coach Pitso Mosimane, the highly-successful South African who delivered back-to-back Champions League titles, and Ahly's board of directors.
Mosimane's tenure came to a surprise end less than two weeks later and his successor, Ricardo Soares, did not survive for long.
The Portuguese was dismissed just a month after taking over, having failed to turn around Ahly's season and steer them to the domestic league title, which arch-rivals Zamalek won for a second consecutive season.
Koller was named as the new boss last month amid intense criticism of the board, which broke away with Ahly's tradition against making rapid managerial changes.
"Coaching Al Ahly is like a new challenge for me, and I want to win it," Koller said in an interview with the club's official website.
"Working with a team like Al Ahly is a great opportunity for me. I want to win the CAF Champions League title and all the local championships. My goal is to win everything with Al Ahly."
Ahly usually meet lowly clubs in the preliminary round of the Champions League but they are facing a sterner test this team around, given that Monastir finished as runners-up in the Tunisian league last season.
With a group-stage place at stake, Ahly are eager to avoid any surprises in what could probably be their last participation in the Champions League, with a new Super League set to be inaugurated next season.
Ahly's squad for the Monastir clash includes two of their new signings -- Brazilian forward Bruno Savio and attacking midfielder Shady Hussein.
(For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
Short link: