Egyptian Premier League champions Ahly will face an easy mission when they host South Sudanese side Atlabara at Alexandria s Borg El-Arab Stadium in the second leg of the CAF Champions League on Friday, as the first leg of the preliminary round finished with 4-0 for the Red Devils two weeks ago.
The Cairo giants kicked off their bid to win the African Champions League for the first time since 2013 with an easy 4-0 win over Atlabara in the first leg of the preliminary round.
Ahly will start the game under the helm of Mohamed Youssef, as the Egyptian side dismissed coach Martin Lasarte on Sunday after the team exited the Egypt Cup at the hands of Pyramids FC a day earlier.
Caretaker coach Youssef is expected to make use of the newly signed players including playmaker Mohamed "Afsha" Magdi, defender Mahmoud Metwalli and Malian midfielder Aliou Dieng when Ahly face Atlabara despite already having a leg in the next round of the tournament after the big 4-0 win of the Sudanese side.
Atlabara, who are making their third-ever CAF Champions League appearance, shouldn t pose a serious challenge to Ahly after the first leg result.
This edition is the first to be held on an August-May calendar. The final has been reduced from two legs to only one game at a neutral venue.
There will also be a record 14 previous winners involved.
Ahly have made the prestigious title their top priority and have spent millions of dollars over the past months in hopes of securing it.
