Five-time champions Ahli hope to maintain their continental supremacy when they clash with CAF Champions League debutants Ittihad of Libya in the first leg semi-final on Sunday. Despite the home advantage, history is definitely not on the Libyan champions' side when the two teams meet in Tripoli for the all-Arab contest. The Egyptian champions have the upper hand in almost every comparison with their North African rivals, but the ambitious Ittihad side has finally got a chance to cause a major upset against the continent's best. New Standards Ahli, who clinched the previous two African titles, will do whatever it takes to get ahead of the Ittihad hurdle in order to reach the final and win a third straight trophy. In addition to the unprecedented achievement of winning three titles on the trot, the Red Devils hope to add a record-breaking sixth trophy. Ahli know that if they managed to defeat Ittihad they will have the advantage of playing the final game of the tournament at home. Manuel Jose's team registered a morale-boosting 1-0 league victory over arch-rivals Zamalek in preparation for the Ittihad game, and the Zamalek win is always important for Ahli's confidence. It is likely that the Portuguese tactician will field an unchanged line-up against Ittihad, after his side looked stable in the Zamalek game especially in midfield. Jose could relegate Egypt striker Emad Meteb to the bench in an attempt to fill in midfield with the presence of trio Hassan Mostafa, Hossam Ashour and Anis Boujelbene. The midfield trio will try to fill in the gap left by Egypt midfielder Mohamed Shawki, who left Ahli for Premiership side Middlesbrough three weeks ago. Libyan Ambition Ittihad marked their first appearance in the competition's new format, introduced by CAF in 2004, by defying all odds and reaching the last four. The Libyan champions also have a 100% home record in the quarter-finals, beating the likes of Etoile Sahel, JS Kabylie and FAR Rabat in the group stage. So the contest will be anything other than a walk in a park for African champions Ahli, who lost two of their last three away games of the competition.
