Cautious Ahly eye ninth appearance in Champions League final

The Red Devils are taking nothing for granted as they face Nigeria's Sunshine Stars in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final on Sunday

Ahly will be firm favourites to reach the Champions League final when they host Nigeria's Sunshine Stars on Sunday but they still sounded a cautious note about their prospects of overcoming the tournament debutants.
A 3-3 first-leg draw in Nigeria, where Ahly displayed an intricate passing game but struggled at the back to allow Sunshine Stars to keep their hopes alive, put the Red Devils on the verge of making their ninth appearance in the final of Africa's elite club competition.
Ahly are the record winners with six titles under their belt, having lost twice in the final in 1983 and 2007.
They will face defending champions Esperance, who beat TP Mazembe 1-0 on aggregate, in a two-legged finale next month if they beat Sunshine Stars.
“Sunshine Stars is a tough team and they are not an easy team to play against. They haven't lost hope yet and they will fight to the end,” Ahly coach Hossam El-Badry said in an interview with CAFonline.com.
“I expect them to attack from the start as draw is not in their favor, so we'll keep an eye on our defence while we try to score early and put the game beyond them.
“With so much at stake it is not going to be easy for both teams but one thing guaranteed is that it will be a battle. The game is going to be a tough one, and we'll do our best to win.”
Ahly, who will host Sunshine Stars at a new stadium built by the Egyptian army in Cairo, will be once again deprived of their fans as lingering security concerns still hang over the football-mad country.
The Red Devils' enthusiastic supporters always play an instrumental role in the success of Africa's most decorated club but their absence on Sunday might be a blessing in disguise.
Ahly's players are experiencing a tense relationship with die-hard fans Ultras Ahlawy, who attacked their own players and board of directors on numerous occasions in an unprecedented outpouring of anger from the usually supportive faithful.
Ultras Ahlawy want their team to abstain from taking part in any domestic game until the perpetrators of Port Said's soccer tragedy, which left over 70 fans killed last February, are brought to justice - a demand that fell on deaf ears as Ahly beat ENPPI in a highly-controversial Super Cup game last month.
Ahly are still missing veteran playmaker Mohamed Abou-Treika as he serves a two-month suspension imposed by the club after he skipped the ENPPI game in a sign of solidarity with Ultras Ahlawy.
However, the Ahly icon is likely to be available for the Champions League final if the team overcome Sunshine Stars.
Left-back Sayed Moawad is ruled out due to injury while winger Walid Soliman and Ivorian striker Oussou Konan are doubtful after picking up knocks lately.
Ahram Online will be providing a live coverage of the anticipated match, which will kick off at 17:30 GMT (19:30 Cairo local time).
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