Ahly, bidding to become the first Egyptian side to win the African Confederation Cup, face Cameroon's Coton Sport away from home in the first leg of the competition's semis on Saturday Egyptian giants Ahly are out to prove Coton Sport's nemesis for the third time in seven years as they face the Cameroonian outfit in the first leg of the African Confederation Cup semi-final in Garoua on Saturday. The Red Devils had the upper hand in two crucial African Champions League duels with Coton Sport, prevailing in 2008 and 2013 to go on and win the continent's elite club competition. They are meeting in a less glamorous competition this time around but Ahly are still passionate about winning the only title missing in their trophy-laden cabinet despite some inconsistent displays, with the club embarking on a rebuilding process to make up for the retirement of talismanic playmaker Mohamed Abou-Treika and rock-solid defender Wael Gomaa. "We are very familiar with Coton Sport, and we know how difficult it is to play them in Garoua," Ahly's board member Taher El-Sheikh, who heads the club's delegation in Cameroon, said on the Red Devils' official website. "We are confident that we can get a positive result on the road that would make our mission in Cairo easy." Ahly are in a buoyant mood after extending their Cairo derby unbeaten streak to 18 matches, having defeated Zamalek in nervy shootout following a 0-0 draw to win the Egyptian Super Cup for the eighth time on Sunday. Their joyful supporters celebrated wildly at the club's training pitch but they are unlikely to be allowed to cheer on their beloved club in the return leg against Coton Sport, with Egyptian authorities enforcing a crowd ban, citing security concerns. "We have to play with the same spirit that we showed in our Super Cup match against Zamalek. We have to make use of it again," El-Sheikh, an Ahly star in the 1970s and 80s, added. Ahly won the Champions League in 2008 with a 4-2 aggregate win over Coton Sport before eliminating the Cameroonians at the semi-final stage last year on penalties following a 2-2 aggregate draw. They reached the Confederation Cup last four after finishing on top of Group B with nine points from two wins, three draws and one loss. Ahly will only miss long-term absentees Abdallah El-Said and Mohamed Nagy 'Gedo'. (For more sports news and updates, follow AhramOnline Sports on Twitter at@AO_Sportsand on Facebook atAhramOnlineSports.) http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/111173.aspx
