Al Ahly coach Pitso Mosimane has played down the importance of his team's Caf Champions League Group A clash against Mamelodi Sundowns at Al Salam Stadium in Cairo on Saturday night.
While Al Ahly appear to be taking the game seriously, to the extent of asking the Confederation of African Football and Egyptian authorities to allow a crowd for the match at their home ground (kickoff 9pm Egypt and SA time), Mosimane's view is the Champions League starts for real at the quarterfinal stage.
“I look at football differently. You don't have to beat Sundowns to win the Champions League,” the coach said.
“There is really not so much for us in this. If we have to meet [later], we may have to meet them in the semifinals or the final, because we'll keep avoiding each other according to the way it's set up.
“As Al Ahly we have played Sundowns many times. As Sundowns we played Al Ahly many times. I've been on both sides, where I was happy to win and at some stages was unhappy to lose.
“It's the way it is. I think we are going like the Wydad [Athletic] story when I was at Sundowns, where we [Sundowns] met Wydad I think eight times — we got tired of playing Wydad.
“With Sundowns, Al Ahly keep playing them all the time. I can guarantee we'll meet again next year because you can see they've already won the league in SA.
Pitso plays down importance of Al Ahly’s Cairo clash against Sundowns
Image: Al Ahly SC/Twitter
Al Ahly coach Pitso Mosimane has played down the importance of his team's Caf Champions League Group A clash against Mamelodi Sundowns at Al Salam Stadium in Cairo on Saturday night.
While Al Ahly appear to be taking the game seriously, to the extent of asking the Confederation of African Football and Egyptian authorities to allow a crowd for the match at their home ground (kickoff 9pm Egypt and SA time), Mosimane's view is the Champions League starts for real at the quarterfinal stage.
“I look at football differently. You don't have to beat Sundowns to win the Champions League,” the coach said.
“There is really not so much for us in this. If we have to meet [later], we may have to meet them in the semifinals or the final, because we'll keep avoiding each other according to the way it's set up.
“As Al Ahly we have played Sundowns many times. As Sundowns we played Al Ahly many times. I've been on both sides, where I was happy to win and at some stages was unhappy to lose.
“It's the way it is. I think we are going like the Wydad [Athletic] story when I was at Sundowns, where we [Sundowns] met Wydad I think eight times — we got tired of playing Wydad.
“With Sundowns, Al Ahly keep playing them all the time. I can guarantee we'll meet again next year because you can see they've already won the league in SA.
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“The DStv Premier League is not the same as the Champions League. For me, the Champions League starts in the quarterfinals, not in the group stages.”
Sundowns lost 3-1 on aggregate to Al Ahly in the 2020-21 quarterfinals.
Downs play their third match of Group A, having started with games against the group's Sudanese duo with a 1-0 win at home against Al-Hilal, then 0-0 draw against Al-Merrikh on Saturday in neutral Cairo, where the Brazilians have remained for their match against Ahly.
Al Ahly, who started late because of winning the bronze medal at the Fifa Club World Cup in Qatar, play their second game against Sundowns, having started the group with a 0-0 draw away against Al-Hilal.
The Red Devils beat 14th-placed Misr Lel Makkasa 4-0 in their Egyptian Premier League fixture at Al Salam Stadium on Tuesday night, a game Sundowns' coaches would have paid close attention to.
‘We are prepared’: Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena on Al Ahly clash
Al Ahly want fans in their stadium for big Group A match against Sundowns
Mokwena on Downs’ tricky group: ‘We can never make the mistake of focusing all our attention on Al Ahly’
Ahly coach Pitso Mosimane: ‘Tommy Madigage is an angel protecting me’
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