Egypt’s Al Ahly and South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns lock horns in the CAF Champions League quarterfinal at the Cairo International Stadium on Saturday.
The match is a repeat of last year’s quarterfinal in which Sundowns ran out 5-1 winners on aggregate against the eight-time African champions.
Sundowns memorably thrashed Al Ahly 5-0 at the Lucas Moripe Stadium in the first leg of that quarterfinal in April 2019. That was Al Ahly’s heaviest continental defeat and a 1-0 win at home in the second leg was not enough to see the Egyptians through.
Both teams are in impressive form in their domestic leagues with Al Ahly top of the table after 16 straight wins while Sundowns are in second place, seven points behind league leaders Kaizer chiefs.
History will be against Sundowns, popularly known as The Brazilians, as they have never defeated the Egyptians away from home.
Both teams will be aiming to strike a decisive blow in the first leg as they bid to add to their trophy haul; Ahly is aiming for a record-extending ninth title while Sundowns will be aiming for a second one.
