Egyptian giants Ahly seek win against formidable Belouizdad

Al Ahly will seek redemption in front of their home fans at Cairo International Stadium when they take on in-form Belouizdad in their outstanding TotalEnergies CAF Champions League group stage clash on Sunday. 

The Egyptian giants, unbeaten in their last 10 matches across all competitions, aim to overcome a recent scoring drought that has lasted over 300 minutes.

Despite their dominance in possession and defensive solidity, Ahly's struggles in front of goal were evident in their last outing – a goalless draw against Pachuca at the FIFA InterContinental Cup this week.

Ahly coach Marcel Kohler is confident they can find their scoring form if they replicate their training form in the match against the Algerian visitors on Sunday.

"I hope that we will be successful and score goals and that all the technical aspects that we have trained on will be implemented." Kholer said at the pre-match press conference on Saturday.

Ahly star player Mahmoud Kahraba remains their standout performer, with two goals in the competition, but the team will need more collective firepower to break Belouizdad’s resilient defence.

Belouizdad arrive in Cairo on a high, having edged Stade d’Abidjan 1-0 in their previous group match.

Aimen Mahious, who scored the winner, will once again be pivotal alongside Khanyisa Mayo and coach Abdelkader Omrani says they want to fight for at least one point in Cairo.

"We must return with at least a draw from Cairo, which requires us to maintain focus and calm, not lose the ball, respect instructions and be confident to score goals," Omrani said at the pre-match pre-match press conference on Saturday.

The Algerian side's form has been nothing short of impressive, boasting five wins in their last six outings and maintaining a defensive record of 333 minutes without conceding.

Sunday’s clash is poised to be a test of contrasting strengths: Ahly’s defensive stability and Belouizdad’s clinical counter-attacking.

The visitors, sitting third in the group with three points, have a chance to leapfrog Orlando Pirates at the summit, while Ahly must win to go top of the group and kickstart their campaign.

The last encounter between these sides ended in a 0-0 stalemate, but this time, the stakes are higher.