Ghanaian midfielder Akwetey Mensah and defender Mohamed Abdullah were surprisingly named in Ahli's starting line-up for the African Champions League final against Sfaxien on Saturday. Mensah replaces starting holding midfielder Mohamed Shawki who serves an automatic one-match suspension while Abdullah got the nod ahead of regular right-back Islam Al-Shater. Both of them were frozen out in the past period, with Mensah getting a few minutes off the bench during the 2-0 victory over Masri in the Egyptian League. He will be combining with defensive-minded Hossam Ashour and Hassan Mostafa to block the midfield while Ahli top scorer and Egyptian international playmaker Mohamed Abou-Treika will be pulling the strings. With Emad Meteb dropped to the bench, Angolan striker Flavio Amado will be deployed as a lone striker up front. No changes have been made in the defense as Shadi Mohamed, Mohamed Sedik and Wael Gomaa take their places in front of African Cup of Nations best goalie Essam Al-Hadari. Ahli were tied to a 1-1 draw in the first leg in Cairo two weeks ago. They need any victory or a draw with more than one goal to clinch the title for the second successive season and the fifth in their history. The Complete Line-up Goalkeeper: Essam Al-Hadari. Defenders: Shadi Mohamed, Wael Gomaa, Mohamed Sedik, Mohamed Abdullah, Ahmed Shedid. Midfielders: Akwetey Mensah, Hossam Ashour, Hassan Mostafa, Mohamed Abou-Treika. Striker: Flavio Amado.
