My View in the Caf Champions League Group Stage Encounter
Saturday 13th May 2017
Al Ahly Vs Zanaco
Alexandria
19:00hrs
Live on Supersport 9
Zambian league defending champions this weak will be taking a journey to the brutal African football safaris as they engage giants Al Ahly of Egypt.
And my oh my it does not get any bigger than this. This will surely be the biggest real test for the Zambian champions this year on all football fronts.
Zanaco meandered to the lucrative group stage after seeing off Young Africans of Tanzania and APR of Rwanda. In preliminary knockout stages.
Due to their good rankings on the Caf club stands, Al Ahly one opponents on two encounters against on a home and away basis against Bidvest of South Africa. Drawing in South Africa and winning in Egypt.
Al Ahly last lost a Champions League encounter on 28th June 2016 against Asec Memosas and before that they had just lost against Zesco United 3-2 on 18th June 2016 in Ndola.
For Zanaco this is the first time they will be playing in the CAF champions League Group stages and they have belief they can do better in the new design of the Group stage. Other two teams in this group include Wydad Casablanca of Morroco and Cotton Spot of Cameroun.
ZANACO have already done a lot to show they have moved on from the exodus of their key players by reaching this stage and I don’t think they are going in as made participants but to compete and get the two top slots in the group to qualify to the next round.
Playing Al Ahly won’t be easy in Egypt and Numba Mumamba will be hoping his strikers replicate their recent league form and get goals for the team away in Egypt.
Al Ahly are coming from beating Al Nasr Taa’den in the Egyptian league while ZANACO with similar score lime beat Nakambala in the league match this past Tuesday.
The Egyptians do not allow as many goals in their games too and actually the last time they allowed a goal was on the 30th of April when they drew 1-1 with El Entag El Harby in the Egyptian league, before that it dates back to 1st March against El Daklyeh in a 2-1 victory.
That’s clear indication that it won’t be easy for the ZANACO side to break that Egyptian defence.
They have already scored 23 goals this season while Zanaco have only managed to score 16 in all competitions these includes the four games in the champions league.
The favourite is without a doubt Al Ahly and ZANACO would do well to reduce the number of goals allowed as that may matter as the games come thick and fast.
My thought is that we shall have a Al Ahly win in this one .
My Verdict: All Ahly 3-0 ZANACO
