By Mark Gleeson
CAPE TOWN (Reuters) – Two Egyptian clubs face two from South Africa this weekend in the semi-finals of this season’s African Champions League in a rare bilateral contest.
Holders Al Ahly continue their bid for a fifth title in six seasons in Pretoria on Saturday against Mamelodi Sundowns, a side who once handed them a record defeat but have too often exited in the knockout stages after dominating the group phase.
Also on Saturday, Pyramids will be hoping to consolidate their fast-track emergence as a force in the African game when they take on Orlando Pirates in Soweto.
The return legs are both in Cairo next Friday with the winners advancing to the two-legged final at the end of May and in early June.
Egyptian giants Al Ahly are the dominant force in African football and have won 12 previous Champions League titles while the other three semi-finalists have two triumphs between them — Pirates in 1995 and Sundowns in 2016.
But despite their strong track record, Ahly are not favourites after unconvincing performances in the league phase, where they were runners-up in their group.
There has been criticism of their Swiss coach Marcel Koller in recent days after they also stumbled against Pyramids in the Egyptian league.
Sundowns handed Ahly a record 5-0 defeat in the 2019 quarter-finals and also scored five against them in Pretoria two years ago in the group phase.
But the South African club, owned by the family of Confederation of African Football president Patrice Motsepe, have a long history of falling short in the knockout rounds.
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Pyramids are competing in the Champions League for only the second time.
The club was formed in 2008 but moved to Cairo a decade later after being taken over by Saudi investors. Emirati businessman Salem Al Shamsi bought the team in 2019.
Pyramids are now well placed to win a first Egyptian championship at the end of this season.
Opponents Pirates were one of only two unbeaten sides in the group competition and have won three away matches in north Africa in this season’s campaign.
But they will need home success on Saturday to ensure a defendable lead to take to Cairo for the return leg.
It is not the first time clubs from two countries have clashed in both Champions League semi-finals.
In the 2020, Al Ahly beat Morocco’s Wydad Casablanca 5-1 on aggregate in their semi-final, while Zamalek were too good for Raja Casablanca, winning 4-1 over their two ties.
Al Ahly edged Cairo rivals Zamalek 2-1 in the final in the Egyptian capital.
(Reporting by Mark Gleeson; Editing by Ken Ferris)
