Ahli will be hoping to gain a first-leg advantage in Cairo when they host Coton Sport in the first-leg of the CAF Champions League final on Sunday. The Red Devils, who are seeking to win an unprecedented sixth Champions League title, want to settle the tie at home in order to play the second-leg in Cameroon without much pressure. On paper at least, Ahli are far superior to nine-time Cameroonian champions Coton, who do not have any continental title under their belt. But underestimating Coton may bring dire consequences, Ahli assistant coach Hossam Al-Badri believes. “Our task to win the title won't be easy. Coton's motivation could be higher than ours because it is the first time they reach the final,” he told El-Ahly.com. “Our supporters should not have that overly-confident tone. Coton defeated Dynamos 5-0 on aggregate in the semi-final, so they deserve to be respected.” Al-Badri just hopes that the referee would be good enough to carry out his duties. “We've suffered from poor refereeing in the early stages of the competition. I hope this time the referee will be fair to us,” he added. Apart from Ahmed Belal's injury, Ahli coach Manuel Jose will have a fully-fit squad to choose from for the anticipated clash. The Portuguese is likely to deploy Flavio Amado as a lone striker. Star playmaker Mohamed Abou-Treika and mercurial midfielder Mohamed Barakat should support the Angolan upfront.
Coton eye Ahli upset Ahmed Sedik, whose recent displays have been impressive, is expected to occupy the right-back berth with Gilberto serving on the other flank. Hossam Ashour is expected to partner the veteran Ahmed Hassan in the heart of Ahli's midfield, but the latter would be given more advanced role. Confident Coton Sport are quite confident that they can cause a huge upset at the 74,100-seated Cairo stadium. They will be boosted by the support of Cameroonian legend and Africa's greatest player Roger Milla, who arrived in Cairo with Coton's delegation. “All of Cameroon wishes that Coton Sport return home with a satisfactory result,” Milla told Coton's official website. “They deserve to win the trophy and I will be supporting them until the final whistle.” The team's manager Alain Ouombleon Guedou sees no reason why his side can't defeat Ahli away from home. “We are capable of winning in Cairo,” Guedou told FilGoal.com on Friday. “My team have the sufficient quality to beat Ahli, we don't need to implement a defensive strategy when we face them.”
