Hiroshima Sanfrecce (Japan) vs. Ahli (Egypt) Kickoff: 12.30 CLT FIFA Club World Cup – Quarter-final Venue: Toyota Stadium, Toyota MATCH FACTS -Sunday's clash will only be Ahli's second-ever competitive meeting against a Japanese opposition. -The first one was against Yomiuri – now Tokyo Verdy – in the 1989 Afro-Asian Championship. Ahli won both legs (3-1 in Tokyo and 1-0 in Cairo). -Ahli star Mohamed Abou-Treika is only one goal away from equaling the record of Lionel Messi and Denilson as the competition's all-time leading goalscorer. -Nine members of Ahli's 23-man squad have been to the Club World Cup before, although only one of them did not make an appearance...reserve keeper Ahmed Adel. -Among the 7 teams participating in this year's competition, Ahli have the fewest number of foreigners in their squad as striker Dominique da Silva is the only non-Egyptian on board. -Defense stalwart Wael Gomaa is the only Ahli man to have played every single minute of the team's previous seven games at the Club World Cup. -Ecuadorian referee Carlos Vera will be in charge of the match, which will be his first outside the CONMEBOL zone. QUOTES Hiroshima coach Hajime Moriyasu "We don't have a great deal of information on our opponents because there's not much film available on them. "It will come down to how well we can execute, knowing little about the other team." Hiroshima captain Hisato Sato "We were able to win our first match on the world stage, but Ahli and Corinthians — who we could later face — will be on an entirely different level from Auckland City. "We made some minor errors in the Auckland game which we'll have to avoid if we want to stand a chance against Ahli. Looking back on the last game, I thought Auckland paid us too much respect. "I can't see that happening with Ahli, who are African champions. I expect us to see less time on the ball in our next game." Ahli coach Hossam Al-Badri "We are up against a team playing at home and are used to the atmosphere of the tournament, so we need to be cautious before thinking we are favorites. "The temperature is low here but I hope we can make good use of that as we usually play matches through the heat of Africa. So maybe the players can be more energetic here. "It is our fourth participation but this time it is very different because we faced a lot of difficulties and had to suffer a lot before reaching this stage." TEAM NEWS After defender Mohamed Naguib had recovered from a back problem, Al-Badri has a full squad to choose from. Walid Soliman and Sayed Moawad have also been declared fit, with the latter poised to make his comeback after more than two months on the sidelines. PLAYERS TO WATCH Hiroshima: The Japanese champions heavily rely on their prolific marksman Hisato Sato as their main source of danger. Ahli: Egypt striker Geddo has arguably been Ahli's most consistent performer of late, thanks to four goals in his last four games.
