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There will be a sense of deja vu when Ahly take on defending champions Wydad Casablanca in the Champions League final tonight.
Egyptian giants Al Ahly host Wydad Casablanca of Morocco in the first leg of the CAF Champions League final at the Cairo International Stadium tonight.
The two sides will meet again on Sunday, June 11, at Stade Mohamed V to settle the score once and for all.
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09:30 - 04.06.2023
ATHLETICS Emmanuel Wanyonyi impressed by formidable transition of junior athletes to senior category
Wanyonyi, 18, is one of the youngsters who is slowly stamping authority in the senior category.
Wydad will be looking to defend their title and clinch their fourth diadem while the Red Eagles will be seeking a record-extending historic 11th title.
Here are the five reasons to believe that Al Ahly will emerge victorious once the dust settles.
1-Intimidating CAF competitions successes
Al Ahly are the most successful club in CAF Competitions with 23 titles and are record winners of the Champions League, having claimed the title on eleven occasions.
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The Red Eagles fell to Wydad in the last season's final and are expected not to let it go this time.
A glance at Al Ahly's recent history suggests they are a hard nut to crack at home.
They have not lost in front of their home supporters in this year's competition, winning six of their eight matches. Even more worrying is that they have only lost once away from home.
2-Playing without pressure
Al Ahly are in a happy space under coach Marcel Koller who has seen their revival following the exit of Portuguese manager Ricardo Soares before the start of the season.
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Since he took over, fans are loving the free-flowing attacking football and have been excellent in the last eight continental matches, as seen in how they have supported the side from the stands.
The team is playing without pressure, which shows in the freedom they display on the pitch.
Contrast that with Wydad, who were nearly losing to Mamelodi Sundowns in the competition's semi-final stage, and the supporters' anxiety is growing.
Every game is a pressure-filled occasion, which can be stifling for players, who are scared to make the mistake that may cost them the game.
3-A better man-for-man squad
If you look at the two squads on paper, there is no doubt that man for man, Al Ahly, has a considerable edge.
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The center-back positions and goalkeeper are the only areas where Wydad can match Red Eagle's quality, but for the rest, there is far more creativity, pace and skill in the Al Ahly ranks.
The understanding between the attacking duo of Percy Tau and Mahmoud Kahraba has the basics right: sharing the ball with passes, creating, getting past defenders and scoring lots of goals.
They are more dangerous than the Wydad trident of Mohammed Ounnajem, Abdelmounaim Boutouil and Ayoub el-Amloud, who have assisted the Moroccan giants in winning matches so far in this competition.
The two are perfect with their skill, taking defenders on with pace, but their power is not expected to trouble Al Ahly's backline.
4-Incredible depth to be able to change systems against predictable Wydad
Wydad tends to be a little one-dimensional, and Al Ahly coach Koller will know precisely what he is facing tonight.
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Al Ahly, on the other hand, now has an array of riches on their bench, let alone the starting XI, and that gives Koller a chance to change the game plan if necessary and to inject quality match-winners onto the pitch if things are not going his way.
Al Ahly can now play several ways, bringing an unpredictability that will be difficult for Wydad to counter.
5-Koller experience
Coach Marcel Koller has earned a reputation for being a shrewd operator when taking pressure off the players and setting up his teams in high-stakes games like the North African Derby.
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The 62-year-old has a considerable pedigree, having worked with top European teams, including working with several Swiss clubs such as ST Gallen, Grasshopper and Basel, and German sides FC Koln and Bochum.
At Grasshopper, Koller was well aware of the value of the club's immense fanbase and actively sought to get the supporters inside and make the Letzigrund a fortress where visiting fans feared to tread.
Similarly, at Al Ahly, he realized that the key to getting the best out of the heavyweights would be to focus on some of those intangibles.
He knows better than anyone that only victory will be appreciated by the Red Eagles fans ‚ but he is a man who can withstand the unbearable pressure.
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