Defending champions Ahli have been drawn with Sudan's Hilal, ASEC Mimosas of Ivory Coast and Tunisian side Esperance in Group B of the CAF Champions League quarter-finals. Group A included Tunisia's Etoile Sahel, Moroccan side Royal Armed Forces, Algeria's JS Kabylie and Ittihad of Libya. Ahli, who are looking for an unprecedented third successive African title, last met Hilal in 2004 when they were eliminated from the Champions League preliminaries after suffering a 1-0 aggregate defeat. The Cairo giants reached last season's final after defeating ASEC 3-2 on aggregate before winning the title at the expense of Tunisia's Sfaxien.
Ismaili Ahli last played against Esperance in 2001 in a thrilling two-legged encounter in which the five-time African champions progressed to the final with the away-goal rule following a 1-1 aggregate draw. On the other hand, Egypt's representative in the CAF Confederation Cup Ismaili were placed in Group A of the quarter-finals along with Nigerian duo Dolphin and Kwara United and Sudanese club Al-Merrikh. Group B includes Tunisia's Sfaxien, Ahli victims Mamelodi Sundowns, Congo's Mazembe and Astres de Douala of Cameroon.
