Battle lines will be drawn tonight as two African football giants – Al Ahly (Egypt) and Wydad AC – face off in the second leg of the CAF Champions League final to be staged at the Stade Mohammed V Stadium in Morocco.The two football royalties have clashed in two previous finals, Wydad winning all, while in 2017, Wydad won with a 2-1 aggregate score, following a 1-1 draw in the first leg in Cairo, and a 1-0 win in the return fixture in Casablanca.One more time, @WACofficiel & @AlAhly in Casablanca! 🔥 #TotalEnergiesCAFCL pic.twitter.com/Ejh6uUS2kv— TotalEnergies CAFCL – TotalEnergies CAFCC 🏆 (@CAFCLCC) June 10, 2023 Last season, in the one-legged final, Wydad won 2-0 in Casablanca to clinch their third African title.Heading to Sunday night’s return duel, Ahly travel to Casablanca with a 2-1 headstart from last weekend’s victory at the Cairo International Stadium.##NAJAVA_MECA_7312223##While the Red Devils enjoy the lead and only need to avoid defeat in Casablanca, the Red Castle are clinging on to the single away goal scored by Saifeddine Bouhra.Al Ahly head coach Marcel Koller has said his players are under no pressure as they prepare for their date with destiny – one that could lead them to claiming a record extending 11th Champions League crown.“We are ready, and the players too have prepared well for this game. We are under no pressure; pressure will be on Wydad. We won the first leg and that is a good step for us going into this game,” the Swiss coach said, speaking at Saturday’s pre-match press conference.Ten-time #TotalEnergiesCAFCL champions open up in the pre-final press conference. 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/9RWpXIDrxb— TotalEnergies CAFCL – TotalEnergies CAFCC 🏆 (@CAFCLCC) June 10, 2023 “We are used to playing in front of large crowds and our players have the experience to deal with such a kind of atmosphere. Football is played on the pitch and we are ready to deal with what is ahead of us. for us, this is an enjoyable atmosphere and it does not pose any problems for us,” the coach offered.A 1-0 win for Wydad at home on Sunday will however be enough to defend their title. Should Ahly score, then it will complicate matters for the defending champions.“We are in a situation where we must win. Currently, the advantage is on Ahly and we know they will not want to lose that advantage easily. It will be a difficult match but the goal we scored in the first leg gives us some edge,” Wydad AC head coach Sven Vandenbroek said on Saturday.Some final statements from @WACofficiel’s coach & captain ahead of the #TotalEnergiesCAFCL final 2nd-leg. 👀 pic.twitter.com/pKPjhQqj2D— TotalEnergies CAFCL – TotalEnergies CAFCC 🏆 (@CAFCLCC) June 10, 2023 “This is an important match, not only for me, the team and Wydad fans, but also the Moroccan public. A Moroccan team has never won the Champions league back to back and this is a chase for history for us,” noted the Belgian coach.In 12 previous meetings between these two North African giants, Ahly have a better historical record, as they have won five times – two of those victories coming in Morocco, while Wydad have won three of their 12 matches, two of them being on home soil.Casablanca buzzing as old rivals Wydad, Al Ahly prepare for epic return clashThe rest of the four matches ended in draws. In the 2020 season, Ahly won 2-0 in Casablanca, and hope to repeat the same feat to propel them into their record extending 11th title.The game kicks off at 2200 EAT.
