Al Ahly vs Guangzhou Evergrande FC | Match Preview
Match info: Venue Agadir | 14 Dec 2013 – 18:00 (CLT)
Al Ahly of Egypt will open their Club World Cup campaign against China’s Guangzhou Evergrande FC on Saturday December 14th.
The African’s Red Devils face China’s Guangzhou in the Club World Cup quarter-final in Agadir on Saturday, with both sides eyeing a potential mouthwatering clash against European champions Bayern Munich in the semis.
“I disagree with whoever is talking about a game against Bayern Munich, such thoughts are unrealistic,” Youssef, who steered Ahly to a record-extending eighth Champions League title few months after taking over from Hossam El-Badry, said in an interview with FIFA.com.
“Anyone who understands football well must realise that the most important game is the opening one against Evergrande. Our Chinese opponents are strong.”
Guangzhou, who are led by Italy’s 2006 World Cup-winning coach Marcello Lippi, are no pushovers, having become the first Chinese side to win the AFC Champions League following some emphatic victories in the knockout stages.
“They won the domestic league and the Asian Cup, their squad boasts three excellent foreigners, two Brazilians and an Argentinean player, and they have seven players who are members of China’s national team,” Youssef said.
“If we either want to face Bayern or compete for the third then our game against Evergrande is the key. For us, this tournament simply means beating Evergrande in the first game.”
Guangzhou Evergrande FC
Guangzhou were crowned Asian champions after beating South Korea’s FC Seoul last month and are eager to down Al-Ahly to set up a clash with German giants Bayern Munich in Tuesday’s first semi-final.
This is Guangzhou’s first appearance at a Club World Cup, but they have a talented squad including both Asia’s Player of the Year Zheng Zhi and Foreign Player of the Year in Brazil’s Muriqui, with World Cup-winning coach Marcello Lippi at the helm.
Muriqui has set his sights on making an impact in Morocco, but inists Guangzhou must focus on the African champions before coming up against Bayern.
“These are world-class teams, but we will take our game to them,” Muriqui told fifa.com
“The first game will be a hard test and we should strive to win. We represent China and Asia, so we will spare nothing to get a good result,” he added.
Hailed as one of the most promising stars in the Brazilian league, Muriqui made an immediate impact on his arrival in 2010, racking up 13 goals in 14 appearances in his debut season as Guangzhou earned promotion to the top flight.
Ahly, who will make their fifth Club World Cup appearance, are seeking to at least match their third-place finish in the 2006 edition. However, odds are stacked against them despite their impressive Champions League triumph.
Domestic football stoppage is still taking its toll on Egyptian clubs and Ahly did not even have adequate time to prepare for the tournament as their international players were busy taking part in Egypt’s World Cup playoff against Ghana.
They could only arrange some low-key friendly matches, including a 2-1 victory over Morocco’s MAS Fez.
