Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane has praised the performance of Zamalek skipper Mahmoud "Shikabala" Abdel-Razek ahead of Saturday's showdown in the CAF Champions League first leg final in South Africa. "I know all Zamalek key players well as the team has more talented players like Ahmed El-Shenawy, Tarek Hamed, Ahmed Tawfik and newly signed Stanley," Mosimane told the pre-game press conference on Friday. "Captain Shikabala is still a Zamalek legend as he is not only a leader but he can make the difference," "I am always worried when Shikabala is on the field," the Sundowns' coach added. The 52-year-old tactician brushed off Zamalek's coach Moemen Soliman latest statements about resigning if his team loses the CAF Champions League title. "Moemen Soliman is my younger brother and he is a brilliant coach who has superb tactics so he has to fight til the end," Mosimane said. The South African tactician also denied previous reports claiming he undermined Zamalek and is sure of winning the title. "Since we were young we knew that Ahly and Zamalek are the biggest teams in Africa, how can I speak badly about one of the best teams in the continent?" he concluded. Zamalek are set to face Sundowns in the first leg of CAF's Champions League final in Pretoria on Saturday, with the return leg taking place at Alexandria's Borg El-Arab stadium a week later. Sundowns have participated in the CAF Champions League seven times, reaching the Champions League final in 2001 where they lost to Egyptian giants Ahly 4-1 on aggregate, including a 3-0 away defeat in the second leg. Zamalek have a brilliant history in the continental prestige tournament with 18 participations and five title wins. The team last played a Champions League final in 2002, when they won their fifth title. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
