Al Ahly will be aiming to be crowned champions of Africa once again when they take on reigning champions Wydad AC in the second leg of their CAF Champions League final.
The Moroccan outfit's title pursuit took a huge blow following last week's first-leg defeat and now have an uphill climb as they look to retain the continental prize for the first time ever.
Match preview
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While Wydad AC have made it to the CAF Champions League final once again — a fourth final appearance in the last seven seasons — they have not had it easy this year.
Sven Vandenbroeck's men cruised through group stages, claiming four wins and one draw in their six matches to finish top of Group A with a three-point cushion over second-placed JS Kabylie.
However, they needed spot kicks to see off Tanzanian side Simba in the quarter-finals back in April before scraping through the semi-finals against Mamelodi Sundowns also via penalties.
Wydad's struggles were highlighted in the final as they suffered a 2-1 first-leg defeat at the hands of Al Ahly as they faced off in a repeat of last year's final at the Cairo International Stadium.
The Moroccan side found themselves two goals down, following goals from Kahraba and former Brighton and Hove Albion man Percy Tau before Saifeddine Bouhra gave them a lifeline with an 86th-minute strike.
Wydad also failed to defend their league crown, despite winning picking up 56 points from 26 matches, as they finished second in the 2022-23 Botala campaign, one point below winners FAR Rabat.
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As for Al Ahly, last weekend's victory has placed them inches away from a record-extending 43rd CAF Champion League title and their first since the 2019-2020 campaign.
The Egyptian powerhouse had endured a slow start to the campaign, as they picked up 10 points from a possible 16 in the group stages to finish just above third-placed Al-Hilal Omdurman on goal difference.
However, they blitzed their two knockout-stage matches leading to the final, brushing aside Raja Casablanca and Esperance Tunis while scoring six goals and keeping clean sheets in all four games.
Marcel Koller's men are also almost certain to clinch the Egyptian Premier League title once again as they sit just two points behind league leaders Pyramids with six games in hand.
Sunday's showdown is now the only thing potentially between the Red Devils and a trophy clean sweep, having also clinched both the Egyptian Cup and Super Cup back at home.
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Team News
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Bouhra made an instant impact after coming off the bench in the first leg and the Chabab Mohammedia could be handed a starting role this weekend.
Should that be the case, Zouhair El Moutaraji, who has failed to score in his last 11 matches, could drop to the bench, while Bouly Junior Sambou should retain his role in the attack.
Sambouhas been involved in 14 goals in his last 19 matches and will be one to keep an eye on, while Jalal Daouli, Yahya Jabrane and Reda Jaadi should start in midfield.
Off the back of a dominant first-leg display, Koller could name a similar side on Sunday, meaning that we could see a back four of Mohamed Hany, Yasser Ibrahim, Mohamed Abdelmonem and Ali Maaloul shielding Mostafa Shobeir in goal.
Aliou Dieng, Marwan Attia and Hamdi Fathi should all retain their roles in the centre of the park, while Tau, Hussein El Shahat and Egypt international Kahraba should spearhead the attack once again.
On the injury front, Akram Tawfik and Karim Fouad are currently recuperating from cruciate ligament ruptures and will play no part in Sunday's game.
Wydad AC possible starting lineup:
El Motie; Amloud, Farhane, Zola, Allah; Daouli, Jabrane, Jaadi, El Hassouni; Bouhra, Sambou
Al Ahly possible starting lineup:
Shobeir; Hany, Abdelmonem, Ibrahim, Maaloul; Dieng, Attia, Fathi; Tau, El Shahat; Kahraba
We say: Wydad AC 1-2 Al Ahly
Wydad have nothing to lose on Sunday and we expect them to come out guns blazing in search of a comeback. However, they face a resolute Al Ahly side who are unbeaten in their last 15 matches across all competitions. While we expect the hosts to put up a fight, we predict that Koller will come out on top and clinch the continental crown.
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Wydad AC win with a probability of 39.77%. A win for Al Ahly had a probability of 30.95% and a draw had a probability of 29.3%.
The most likely scoreline for a Wydad AC win was 1-0 with a probability of 13.43%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (7.85%) and 2-1 (7.81%). The likeliest Al Ahly win was 0-1 (11.43%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.36%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with a 13.4% likelihood.
Joshua Ojele
