Match info:
Venue: Petro Sport | Date & Time 17 May 2014 – 20:00 (CLT) | 2PM ET
LIVE ON: www.Nilesports.TV
Al Ahly, bidding to become the first Egyptian outfit to win the Confederation Cup, open their Group B campaign with a relatively easy test at home to Zambia’s Nkana as they make their first ever appearance in the group stage of Africa’s secondary club competition.
Ahly should find no difficulty brushing aside Nkana, who suffered a humiliating 5-0 second-leg defeat by Ahly’s arch-rivals Zamalek in the Champions League round of 16.
“My mission is to put Ahly on the right way till the end of this season,” Ahly’s interim coach Fathi Mabrouk told Cafonline.com.
“We go into the Confederation Cup mini-league with a clear intention; to win our first three games to put a foot at the semis. This is a trophy we have yet to win and we want to add it to our cabinet.”
Ahly met Nkana only once, defeating them in the Champions League semis in 1983.
“Nkana is a good team. They play with a very fast pace and are very strong physically,” Mabrouk added.
“Despite losing 5-0 to Zamalek in the Orange CAF Champions League, they recovered quickly and ousted Tunisia’s CA Bizertin in the playoffs, which is a tough mission to achieve.”
Veteran left-back Sayed Moawad, who was given a new lease of life after Mabrouk replaced Mohamed Youssef at the helm, was ruled out of the game due to a hamstring complaint.
Long-term absentees Emad Meteb, Walid Soliman and Sherif Abdel-Fadil remain sidelined.
GROUP B STANDINGS
