Egyptian giants Al Ahly look set to feast on Al Duhail of Qatar when they meet in their opening FIFA Club World Cup on Thursday.
Kick-off is at 19:30 CAT.
Al Ahly will be taking part in the competition for the first time since 2013, and will be making their sixth appearance at FIFA’s showpiece club.
Spearheaded by striker Mahmoud Hamid Soliman , they have rediscovered their roar under coach Pitso Mosimane and will carry the hopes of many people not just in Egypt but across the African continent.
Al Duhail are putting a strong face are putting on a brave face but they have struggled to score goals and look destined to face a fierce battle against the African side.
The Qatari representatives Al-Duhail were handed a bye through to this stage of the competition after Auckland City’s withdrawal last month.
Sherif will need to put a spat with veteran star Ibrahim Hassan behind him when he leads his team out at Education City Stadium in Qatar.
The former Red Devils defender has been criticizing the club’s current players and current coach Mosimane on their abilities.
A victory against Al-Duhail will see them square off against European kings Bayern Munich in the semi-final.
South African Mosimane, who guided the Red Devils to the Egyptian Premier League and African Champions League title, said the strong and experienced squad was in good fettle despite the Hassan criticism.
“We came here because we are the African Champions. We have great confidence in ourselves and we aim to reach our maximum levels in the competition,” Mosimane told the pre-match news conference as per Ahram Online.
“We have great determination and we will not leave the pitch unless we are totally satisfied with ourselves. We are keen to please our fans, as they always support us.
“We believe in our capabilties and I know that the competition will be different than the Egyptian league and the CAF champions League.
“We will confirm that we are here to perform, not to picnic,” he added.
The Red Devils last participated in the annual competition in 2013 where they bowed 2-0 to Guangzhou Evergrande in their first match.
In their fifth-place match, they suffered a 5-1 obliteration at the hands of Mexican side Monterrey with Emad Moteab getting their consolatory strike
Al Ahly’s squad at Club World Cup:
Goalkeepers: Mohamed El Shenawy, Aly Lofty, Mostafa Shoubir
Defenders: Ahmed Ramadan, Yasser Ibrahim, Aymen Ashraf, Badr Benoun, Saad Samir, Ali Maaloul
Midfielders: Hamdy Fathy, Hussein El Shahat, Aliou Dieng, Amro Elsoulia, Mohamed Afsha, Arkam Tawfik
Forwards: Kahraba, Marwan Mohsen, Mohamed Sherif, Salah Mohsen, Walter Bwalya, Taher Mohamed, Junior Ajayi, Mohamed Hany
