Orlando Pirates manager Roger De Sa believes Ahli are the toughest team in Group B, even so the South Africans will give it their best shot in their Champions League clash on Sunday. Ahli, who played out a 1-1 draw with city rivals Zamalek, host Pirates in their second group-stage fixture. "Ahli are obviously the toughest team in the group. They are seven-time champions but we will give it our best shot. It's a big mental game," De Sa told South Africa's The Post. Speaking of Egypt's political turmoil, De Sa stated that his side are completely aware of the situation there and that they are checking with CAF to ensure their safety. "It will be a tough match, and we are aware of the situation there. My players watch news channels every day and they will want to know if it is safe to go there," he added. "The latest we heard was that there were 70 deaths overnight, but we have checked with CAF and they said the match is going ahead. We need to be mentally strong, get there and confine ourselves to what happens in the game." Ahli, along with city rivals Zamalek, have been forced to move their home games away from Cairo or Alexandria – Egypt's major two cities – to Gouna Stadium, which lacks adequate floodlights, forcing players to play during fasting hours in Ramadan. Despite Ahli's attempts to have the group-stage fixture with Pirates postponed five days to avoid the daylight heat during fasting in Ramadan, CAF have turned down their request.
