Sudan Premier League giants Al Hilal will be out to shock Egyptian Premier League side Al Ahly in the 2021/2022 CAF Champions League Group A match on Friday.
Kick-off is at 13h00 GMT.
The encounter will take place at the Al Hilal Stadium in the Sudanese city of Omdurman.
Al Hilal opened their group campaign with a disappointing 1-0 loss away to South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns last weekend.
The Blue Waves had thought they had scored an equalizer in the last minute of the game courtesy of Waledien Khbeir’s header but the referee ruled that the ball was cleared off the line by Sundowns defenders.
Al Hilal technical bench lead by head coach Joao Mota will demand a strong response from the team, as they were not fully satisfied with the side’s opening performance.
Al Ahly, meanwhile, are yet to play their first Champions League game, which was set to take place last weekend against Al-Merrikh, as they were competing in the Club World Cup.
The record African champions opening game against Al Merriekh was due to be played on 11 or 12 February, but it was postponed till 5 March.
The Cairo giants will be face the Al Hilal after grabbing a bronze in the recently concluded Club World Cup, which will serve as a boaster in their journey to defender their African title.
Coach Pitso Mosimane, will likely set his strong team up to play on the counter against the Blue Waves, and the hosts will need to be wary of the Red Devils’ tactical and technical nous.
Al Ahly will be without three key players namely goalkeeper Mohamed El-Shennawy, forward Percy Tau and defender Ayman Asharf who sustained injuries weeks ago.
The Red Devils are targeting their eleventh Champions League title this year. They beat South Africa’s Kaizer Chiefs to clinch their 2020/2021 season title.
