The group stage is over, and now the real action begins in the African Champions League. All four quarterfinal matches of the elite competition will take place this Tuesday—one at 16.00 and three at 22.00.The quarterfinal stage kicks off with a clash between two former champions of the African continent—Mamelodi Sundowns and Esperance de Tunis. The South African side won the title in 2016, while Esperance has four championships to its name, the most recent one in 2019. Because of their past successes, this matchup is considered the derby of the round.🚨𝙂 𝘼 𝙈 𝙀 𝘿 𝘼 𝙔🚨🆚 ES Tunis ⏰ 15H00🏟 Loftus Versfeld Stadium📺 SS 202🎟 Ticket collection points :📍 Venning Park 📍Maple & Brescher📍Lynwood & University #Sundowns #TotalEnergiesCAFCL #RabatsenaGape pic.twitter.com/OVaI3sB1w1— Mamelodi Sundowns FC (@Masandawana) April 1, 2025 Interestingly, six out of the eight quarterfinalists have previously lifted the trophy. The only exceptions are Al Hilal Omdurman and Egypt’s Pyramids FC, a relatively young club. However, teams like MC Alger, Orlando Pirates, and FAR Rabat won their titles back in the 20th century and are not seen as top contenders like Mamelodi Sundowns and Esperance.Of course, the main favorite for the Champions League remains the club that has dominated African football, winning four of the last five editions—the so-called “African Real Madrid,” Al Ahly of Cairo. The Egyptian giants are by far the most successful club in the competition’s history, with 12 titles—seven more than their closest rivals, Zamalek and TP Mazembe.That said, Al Ahly has not been in top form this season, and as a result, serious discussions are taking place in Cairo about replacing their coach, Marcel Koller. However, for now, the prevailing opinion is that the Swiss manager should stay until the summer to lead the team in the Club World Cup, where the Egyptians have high ambitions and hope to make a breakthrough beyond the African continent. “Al Ahly will do its best during the match against Al Hilal tomorrow. We know very well that it will be a difficult match and that the competitor plays well, especially away from home. We will play to qualify for the semi-finals.” — Marcel Koller. #cafclwithmicky pic.twitter.com/Hr81twjVNE— Micky Jnr (@MickyJnr__) March 31, 2025 Still, an early elimination from the Champions League could change those plans. A shocking exit at the hands of Sudan’s Al Hilal, their first knockout-stage opponent, would almost certainly cost Koller his job. That’s why Al Ahly players must approach today’s match with full focus and try to secure their semifinal spot as early as possible in front of their home fans.Interestingly, Al Ahly finished the group stage in second place behind Orlando Pirates, ahead of CR Belouizdad, while Al Hilal topped what was objectively the weakest group, featuring MC Alger, Young Africans, and the season’s biggest disappointment, TP Mazembe from the Democratic Republic of Congo.MC Alger and Orlando Pirates coming up with quarterfinal action! ⚽️Who’s moving on in the #TotalEnergiesCAFCL? pic.twitter.com/vrqsQFWPo8— TotalEnergies CAFCL & CAFCC 🏆 (@CAFCLCC) April 1, 2025 Al Ahly is also in an unusual situation, having lost their last three matches. They suffered a heavy 3-0 defeat to Zamalek in the Egyptian Premier League and then, during the international break, lost twice in the League Cup with a mixed squad—1-0 to ENPPI and 3-1 to El Gaish. However, the League Cup is not a competition that interests Al Ahly at all; last season, they even withdrew from it and would have been penalized had they done the same this year. Still, nothing prevented them from fielding their youth team…##NAJAVA_MECA_8823340##
