Saturday could be Ahli's lucky day if they beat Etoile du Sahel of Tunisia in the final of the African Champions League in Cairo. Inas Mazhar writes on the deciding match Two weeks ago, Ahli and Etoile played to a scoreless draw in the first leg match in Sousse, Tunisia. The result means that both teams have equal opportunity to win it all. Ahli might have the edge by playing at home, with all its super players, remarkable records and outstanding history. But Etoile too are also optimistic, needing to win or draw more than 0-0 with Ahli to be triumphant. "Ahli will be under pressure from the fans. They will have to win. We will be relaxed. We have left the pressure behind in Sousse," said Etoile club chairman Othman Jenayah. "Our players are ready. They beat Club Africaine in a very impressive game in the league championship and are determined to win in Cairo. Ramadan and fasting is over and we have no injuries. I believe we have a chance." Emeke Opara, Etoile's forward, believes his team is closer to the title. "I can't deny that Ahli are a big team, very strong and well disciplined, but we will surprise them in the second leg. We won't be afraid of the fans because we have played in such a situation before. They will see another team." Assistant coach Gilli Stephane also claimed Etoile have a better chance of winning the second leg. "We will play the same system we played in Sousse, mainly defence. However, we will try to snatch opportunities to score. We'll depend on Ahli's mistakes and from there we can score and win." Ahli have been preparing in silence. The team started training for the match on the same day of their arrival from Sousse. After four days and two training sessions a day, Ahli thrashed Ittihad of Alexandria 6-0 in the league to maintain a two-point lead. Ahli's head coach Manuel Jose has warned his players against an early celebration. He urged them to forget Ittihad and concentrate on the more important upcoming fixture against Etoile. Hossam El-Badri, Ahli's football director and assistant coach, said all the players were ready for the big match. "They are confident and in high spirits and promise the Egyptians a good match. "Since the beginning of the competition, we have been playing to win the title and qualify for the World Clubs Championships," El-Badri said. The event begins next month in Japan. Ahli's technical staff of Jose, El-Badri and Alaa Mayhoub held a meeting with the players earlier this week in which they explained the importance of ignoring the opponent's statements about beating them at home. "These remarks are meant to unnerve our players and shake their confidence. We told them to simply ignore them and just think of the match and the glory they will receive from winning the title," El-Badri said. At a press conference at Ahli headquarters in Gezira, Jose gave the incentives to win as the lucrative prize money, the African title and qualification to the World Clubs Championship. The Portuguese head coach called the media and the spectators to support the team the entire 90 minutes. "There are always ups and downs in any match. It is an important match and a decisive game. The winner wins not only the match but everything. "I would like the spectators to support all the players during the whole game. If a player makes a mistake, there is no need to shout at him or insult him or the staff. There will always be mistakes. No team can play 100 per cent. So, I call on the spectators to keep their cool and support the players." Jose reminded the media that it is always the head coach who is to blame for defeat. "Remember, the players follow my instructions, the plan I draw up for them. They play accordingly. So, I don't like the media or spectators to blame the players in any way. The fault always lies with the head coach." Jose said he was upset that the final will be held in the Military Academy Stadium instead of Cairo Stadium. "It would have been different if the final was in Cairo Stadium, triple the capacity. I know the spectators would have filled all the seats in the 75,000 stadium and that would have been a big push for the players. "In addition, the final would have been great publicity for Cairo Stadium, the main venue for the African Nations Cup which Egypt will host in January. The whole world would have had the chance to see this new refurbished stadium. "The Military Stadium seats only 25, 000 spectators so I feel sorry for the fans . The crowds will fill it, I'm sure. For me, the spectators are player No 12. "This match is not only for Ahli but for all Egyptians, supporters of all clubs. If Ahli wins and qualifies for Japan, that will be compensation after losing out on the 2006 World Cup. Ahli fans should also be proud of their two Angolan players who will be playing in the World Cup with their national team. "I have confidence in my players. If they play with that confidence, they will win. We will play our normal football and with the support of the fans and if we follow the tactics we have been training on, we'll win. "All records prove that Ahli are the best African club nowadays. When we started the competition in March, I said we were the best team in Africa. Our results prove we are in fact the best African team but as I said before, in football anything can happen. We will be ready for any surprises. "Their statements about having three chances to win are meant just to put pressure on our players. What are these chances; to win or draw by goals, that's it. What's the third way? Penalties? We will see" Jose also said the draw in Sousse and the smashing victory over Ittihad were not signs that Ahli will win the Champions League final. "As I said anything can happen in football. Remember last year's European Champions Cup between AC Milan and Liverpool. The Italians were leading 3-0 but Liverpool came from behind to level 3-3 and then went on to win the match on penalty kicks. So even if the same scenario happens to Ahli, I don't want people to be upset. We will continue our future plans, to recruit the best Egyptian players. I intend to make Ahli the best African team for the next five or six years." Even if the visitors take us to penalty kicks we are trained for that." Yesterday, Ahli was to train at 6 October city. Neither the players nor the technical staff were to talk to the media. The game is scheduled to kick off at 8pm local time on Saturday. Etoile arrives in Cairo this morning. The last time Ahli won the African title was in 2001.
