Al-Ahly Club of Egypt
Al-Ahly coach Marcel Koller is confident that his team’s players have the necessary experience to perform superbly in the second leg of the CAF Champions League final against Wydad.
The match will be played on Sunday at the Stade Mohammed V in Morocco, following Al-Ahly’s 2-1 win in the first leg at Cairo International Stadium last week.
“All the players are well-prepared for the game, and we are happy to play in front of several fans. The players are highly motivated, especially after winning the first leg, so they have the upper hand as Wydad’s goal did not change the result,” Koller said at the pre-game press conference on Saturday.
Koller emphasized that Al-Ahly’s players are experienced enough since they have played in front of large crowds before, adding that they had played tougher matches than the upcoming one with Wydad.
“Wydad‘s fans won’t take part in the game, and they won’t affect our performance, but they will only support their team,” the Al-Ahly coach added.
The first leg game saw several controversial refereeing decisions, which Koller claims strongly affected the game.
He criticized Libyan referee Motaz Ibrahim for not issuing a red card to Yahia Attiat Allah, who deliberately handled the ball to prevent Percy Tau and Hussein El-Shahat from advancing toward the goal.
“If a player deliberately stops the ball with his hand to deny a clear scoring chance, he deserves to be shown the red card. Moreover, the referee crew didn’t take action against the player, and Al-Ahly didn’t lodge an official complaint,” Koller said.
“After the game, I spoke with the players, and we are ready for the game, especially after winning the first leg,” the Swiss coach added.