Egypt's Pyramids FC and Masry will be looking to reach the CAF Confederation Cup group stage as they play their respective first-legs of the playoff round on Sunday. Debutants Pyramids face Tanzania's Young Africans away from home while Masry, who reached the semi-finals of the 2018 edition, play Cote d'or of Seychelles, also on the road. Pyramids are buoyed by their hard-earned qualification for the playoff round, having defeated Belouizdad 1-0 in Algeria to go through 2-1 on aggregate. They also moved top of the Egyptian Premier League table with an exciting 3-2 win over El-Entag El-Harby last week, although Cairo duo Ahly and Zamalek will overtake them should they win their rescheduled matches. Veteran playmaker Abdallah El-Said produced a virtuoso display in the victory over Entag, scoring two goals to take his tally to five league goals in as many games so far this season. His presence will be crucial as Pyramids seek to grab a positive result away from home. Their opponents, Young Africans, were eliminated from the African Champions League after a 3-2 aggregate loss to Zambia's ZESCO United in the preliminary round. On the other hand, Masry, who advanced to the playoff with an easy 7-2 aggregate victory over Zanzibar's Malindi, are struggling for consistency in the domestic league. They beat promoted FC Masr 2-0 in their last league outing to end a run of two successive losses. With pressure mounting on coach Ihab Galal, he will be desperate to help Masry continue their bid towards a first continental trophy. Their task to qualify for the group stage should not be difficult, given that Cote d'or suffered an embarrassing 16-1 aggregate defeat against Sundowns, with the 11-1 second-leg win for the South Africans marking a Champions League record. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
