Al Ahly of Egypt will hope for a result at bottom team MC Alger this weekend so as to stay within touching distance of the front runners in the CAF Champions League Group B, Wydad Casablanca and Esperance from Tunisia.
The six-time African champions are on four points, a point behind both Wydad and Esperance, but a win in Algeria Sunday night would bolster their chances of making it to the next round of the competition.
The Red Devils of Cairo struggled to beat the Algerians two weeks ago courtesy of a brace by Egypt international striker Emad Moteab, but they were far from convincing even in victory.
On this trip to Algiers, Ahly will be without Brazilian striker Fabio Junior, who incidentally made his debut as a second half substitute against MC Alger in Cairo two weeks ago.
Junior suffered an ankle injury in a friendly and so he is ruled out of this tie.
However, big boost for the Egyptian champions is that defender Ahmed Fathi will see through his contract with them despite interest from newly-promoted English Premier League club Queens Park Rangers.
QPR were prepared to fork out a million British pounds for the 27-year-old Fathi, but Ahly demanded for double this amount.
The hostility between Algeria and Egypt, which was underlined during the 2010 World Cup qualifier between the two countries, is not expected to boil over in this encounter.
There were also some altercations during Champions League matches between Ahly and JS Kabylie of Algeria last year.
But experienced campaigner and defender Wael Gomaa has said he does not expect such hostility on Sunday.
“I think we will witness a sporting atmosphere this time,” said the Egypt international star. “There will be passion and enthusiasm, but I expect no hostility in the game.”
Top Ahly official Khaled Mortagi has also said that the “relationship between Egypt and Algeria has improved after the January 25 Revolution”.
Watch Al Ahly 2-0 AC Alger highlights | Cairo’s match
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