Al Ahly and Esperance of Tunis will face each other in the first leg of the Caf Champions League semi-finals first leg on Saturday, June 19 at the Rades Olympic Stadium in Tunis.
Egyptian giants Al Ahly clinched a spot in the Champions League semi-finals, after knocking out Mamelodi Sundowns with a 3-1 victory on aggregate to mark their 17th semi-final appearance in the competition, the most for any team in Africa.
On the other hand, Esperance of Tunis pulled a comeback against CR Belouizdad. And they won the game on penalties after the tie ended with 2-2 draw on aggregate.
Esperance will go into the game without one of their defenders, Houcine Rabii. Their star forward Taha Yassine Khenissi will also miss the encounter as he was handed a one-year ban for doping.
However, Esperance head coach Moïne Chaabani believes that the squad will be fully prepared despite the setbacks.“We can label the match between Esperance and AlAhly as the African Clasico. Any football fan in Africa or the Arab world will surely watch the match. The match that will witness a great effort from the players and will be characterized by sportsmanship.” The former Esperance defender said during the pre match press conference.
“Things are not decided from the first match unless it’s a big result. In the semi-final, coaches will work to finish things in the first match. But it will be a tactical confrontation at the highest level. And for me, the match is 180 minutes in Tunisia and Cairo.
“Khenissi is just a member of the group. And we hope that his substitute will be ready. Our strength is in the group. And we do not rely on an any individuals.
“Mental, physical and tactical preparation is important for the 90 minutes. The most important thing is to focus from the first to the last minute. Regarding the physical aspect, we got a three-week rest and played just one match. So I imagine that we will be mentally and physically ready for the match.” He continued.
“We focused on many thing during the training camp. We have more than one plan for the match in the event of a red card or an attacking substitution.
“There is no easy match. But we are in the semi-finals, and we previously found solutions to other problems. And I hope we find them again.” He concluded.
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