Al Ahli look to get back on track

2002-08-15 11:29

Mark Gleeson

Soccer-Al Ahli look to get back on track in Champions League Johannesburg - African champions Al Ahli face the prospect of falling further behind in the defence of their trophy if they lose away this weekend to Raja Casablanca in the latest round of African Champions League fixtures.

The Egyptian club were handed a surprise home defeat earlier this month by Jeanne d' Arc of Senegal at the start of the league format of the competition.

A second successive setback in Casablanca this Sunday would leave them well off the pace in group A of the competition.

Al Ahli were far from impressive in their match against Jeanne d'Arc and paid a heavy price for some costly defensive mistakes.

It was also a nightmare start for their new Dutch coach Jo Bonfrere, whose arrival had given rise to high expectations in Cairo.

But Al Ahli did received a boost on Sunday with a 2-1 win over Serie A club AS Roma in a friendly played in front of 100 000 spectators in Cairo.

Although just a pre-season warm-up for the Italian club, the result was received with banner headlines and much celebration in the Arab world.

"We have changed our formation and tactics after that first game, where we were out of condition and a little nervous with a new coach," Al Ahli striker Ahmed Belal told the Al Ahram newspaper on Thursday.

Their Moroccan opponents are also seeking a first win in the group, having looked flat and uninspiring in their opening match against TP Mazembe Englebert of the Democratic Republic of Congo on August 3.

Raja lost 2-0 away in Lubumbashi despite having spent several weeks training in Belgium ahead of their trip to the Congo.

Both Al Ahli and Raja Casablanca have won the top club prize in Africa three times before, adding to the weight of expectation as they go into Sunday's game.

Their meeting overshadows the big game in group B, where Esperance of Tunisia host Egypt's other representatives Zamalek in Tunis on Saturday night.

Two heavyweights

The two heavyweights, both of whom are among the tournament's favourites, won their opening group matches a fortnight ago but go into Saturday's match short on fitness as the league seasons in both Egypt and Tunisia have yet to get underway.

"Winning the opening match permits the team a chance to set new goals in the competition and now go after the top place in the group, not just one of the two qualifying spots" said Esperance's coach Michel Decastel this week.

Dominating the build-up to the game are memories of their tough encounter in 1994, when Esperance beat Zamalek 3-1 on aggregate in the final to win their first-ever Champions Cup.

Two players - captain Tarek Thabet and midfielder Sirajeddine Chihi - remain in the Esperance line-up from that tie almost eight years ago.

The weekend's fixtures start on Saturday in Dakar where Jeanne d'Arc host TP Mazembe Englebert seeking to build on their success in Cairo against Al Ahli.

In group B on Sunday, winless ASEC Abidjan and Costa do Sol of Mozambique meet in the Ivory Coast. The top two finishers in each group go through to the semi-finals in November.

- Reuters