Ahead of the CAF Champions League Group D clash against Algeria's Belouizdad, the defending champions of Al Ahly held a training session at Cairo's Mokhtar El Tetsh Stadium.
Al Ahly Gears Up with Confidence for Clash Against Belouizdad
Ahly's Egyptian goalkeeper Mohamed el-Shenawy encourages his teammates during the FIFA Club World Cup semi-final football match, in Rabat on February 8, 2023.
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Mohamed El Shenawy, goalkeeper and captain of Al Ahly, displayed confidence. Belouizdad head coach, also commented on the importance of the game.
"We know for sure it's a tough game, they must be so focused on this match as they lost the previous one and want to get the three points and that's our goal as well. But, thank God, we had a positive result in the previous game despite the conditions that we faced there (against Young Africans). Tomorrow we have a match, every player is focused, and hopefully we get the three points," said the Al Ahly captain.
"I think there's one derby, it's a continental derby. I hope the players keep concentration for this game. And I do the best. We play outside, we are playing with the same philosophy of play. And, you know, the group is open, nothing has happened, you have a lot of games and in this period I think it's very important for us to collect points," added Marcos Paquetà, Belouizdad head coach.
This match marks the first-ever meeting between Al Ahly and the Algerian team. Al Ahly, holds an impressive record, having won the competition a record 11 times. In contrast, Belouizdad has never secured victory in the CAF Champions League.
Al Ahly currently tops the group with four points after the first two games, one more than both Belouizdad and Ghana's Medeama, with Tanzania's Young Africans at the bottom.