Qatari club Al-Duhail are waiting for a difficult test against a very strong opponent when they face Egypt's Ahly in the FIFA Club World Cup game, the team's French coach Sabri Lamouchi said on Wednesday. Record nine-time African champions Ahly were paired with hosts Al-Duhail in their opening FIFA Club World Cup game, with the winners scheduled to meet European champions Bayern Munich. “It will be a strong confrontation against a very strong team that won the African Champions League title after beating Egyptian stiff rival (Zamalek) in an exciting final,” Lamouchi told beIN sports. “Ahly has many skilled players, so it will be a beautiful game,” he added. Ahly will take on Al-Duhail on 4 February at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan after the Club World Cup draw was made in Zurich on Tuesday. The winners will play in the semi-final clash against Bayern on 8 February. “It will be a great chance to face European champions Bayern Munich in the next round, but we should concentrate on the first match against Ahly,” said Al-Duhail coach. “We will do our best to honour Qatari football,” he concluded. Mexico's Tigres UANL will face South Korean side Ulsan Hyundai FC in the other first round game, with the winners scheduled to play either Palmeiras or Santos, who clash in the Copa Libertadores final on 30 January. Ahly, who defeated Cairo rivals Zamalek in the Champions League final in late November, made five appearances at the Club World Cup -- an African record. Their best result was a third-place finish in 2006 while their last participation in 2013 saw them lose 2-0 to China's Guangzhou Evergrande before suffering an embarrassing 5-1 defeat by Mexico's Monterrey in the fifth-place playoff. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
