Fans anxiously await Ahly Sundowns clash

CAIRO (GoPharaohs.com) - The much-anticipated second-leg match between Al-Ahly & Sundowns of South Africa is on the horizon. The two sides are set to clash on Friday at Al-Ahly’s home turf in Cairo International Stadium. Sundowns faces an uphill battle to advance while Al-Ahly need to maintain their composure throughout and play a balanced game to avoid any surprises by their talented opponents.

The first-leg match in South Africa between the two sides ended in a 2-2 draw, a good but less-than-ideal result for Al-Ahly given that they were ahead for most of the match.

Sundowns needs a victory in Cairo to advance or at least a 2-2 draw to even up the playing field and force a penalty shootout.

It is expected that Sundowns will play with a primary defensive strategy and rely on the counter-attacks in the hopes that they will catch an advancing Ahly side by surprise.

Al-Ahly’s arsenal is fully prepared, including star midfielders Mohamed Barakat and Mohamed Abu Treka who are both returning from injury as well as Emad Meteb up front. Al-Ahly will probably play with an offensive strategy to score early and disrupt the Sundowns strategy but they need to be cautious of losing focus on the defense.

The winner will advance to the quarter-finals of the African Champions League. Al-Ahly is eyeing a third straight title this year.

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