Al Ahly goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy has noted they understand the quality of their Caf Champions League opponents Esperance de Tunis and their focus is to reach the final.
The Red Devils from Egypt will face the Tunisian giants at Hammadi Agrebi Olympic Stadium in Rades in the first-leg semi-final clash on Saturday with the return leg scheduled to be played on July 25 in Cairo.
Speaking ahead of the fixture, El Shenawy, who doubles as the club’s captain, has explained the mood in camp insisting as players, they have always put their desire in retaining the title and will focus to win the two-legged tie.
“We, the players, always speak about our desire to win the Champions League title again this season, we play for Al Ahly and we always play for winning,” El Shenawy said as quoted by the club’s official website.
“It is an important game for us and for our fans. We know it will be a difficult game and we also know the value of Esperance and their strength in the African competitions. They are a strong side and they have many good players.”
“We have been preparing for this game for 15 days and we are fully focused to get a positive result to have an advantage in the second leg.”
“Our game against Esperance in 2018 is in the past now. The two teams witnessed several changes since that game. We have already forgotten that game and we are focusing only on tomorrow’s match.”
“The two clubs enjoy a great relationship and I hope that the players show mutual respect tomorrow on the pitch.”
Ahead of the game, Al Ahly have confirmed defender Ahmed Ramadan Beckham will be available for selection after shaking off an injury.
“Al Ahly defender Beckham participated in part of the team’s training session on Friday at Hammadi Agrebi Stadium, the venue of Saturday’s game between Al Ahly and Esperance in the first leg,” the club said on the same portal.
“Beckham is suffering from an injury in the adductor muscle and he underwent a medical check-up before the training. The player joined his teammates in part of Friday’s training and completed the training session alone under the supervision of the physiotherapist."
