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Meet the CAF Champions League finalists
AL AHLY
CAF club ranking (IFFHS): 1
This season: P12 W8 D2 L2 GF24 GA8
Group B: Runners-up
Quarterfinals: W 2-0 on agg vs Raja Casablanca (Morocco)
Semifinals: W 4-0 on agg vs Esperance (Tunisia)
Best Champions League performance: Winners (1982, 1987, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2020, 2021)
CAMPAIGN SO FAR
It has, to a large extent, been a typical Al Ahly performance in the competition this year, with a mediocre group stage followed by an excellent run in the knockout rounds as they come alive when the heat is really on. They finished runners-up to Mamelodi Sundowns in their pool, which included a humbling 5-2 loss in Pretoria, but since then have been exemplary. They eased past Wydad’s local rivals Raja Casablanca in the quarterfinals with a 2-0 aggregate win, and then thumped Tunisia’s Esperance 4-0 on aggregate in the semis. They have not conceded a single goal in their last six games, since that heavy defeat to Sundowns. As usual, they are hitting top gear at the right time.
WHY THEY CAN GO ALL THE WAY
There is so much quality and know-how through the team, not least South Africa’s Percy Tau, who has been magnificent for them as both a scorer and provider of goals since his return from injury. Man-for-man they are the better team and have goal threats all over the park. The fact that they have really tightened up at the back as well is a big plus.
HOW DO THEY PLAY?
Swiss coach Marcel Koller is pretty set on his 4-2-3-1 formation and it is certainly working for him. Kahraba is the lone forward up front, though he has able support just behind him in a trio of attacking p[layers that include Tau, Hamdi Fathi and Hussein El Shahat, a daunting prospect for any team. Marwan Attia and Aliou Dieng form the defensive shield in front of the back four, and they also have the ever reliable and experienced goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy. Full-back Ali Maâloul is a real menace going forward too.
THE COACH
Koller, 62, arrived at the club in September last year having previously been employed by Swiss side FC Basel and as the Austria national team coach, though he has also had long spells outside of coaching. He has not lost any of his 24 Egyptian league games to date and the team is odds-on to complete another domestic title, though they still have 10 games remaining in the campaign. He has the team organised, but also playing with freedom in an attacking sense.
KEY PLAYER
Who else but Percy Tau, who has been sensational since he put his plethora of injury problems behind him. He has been especially influential in the Champions League and was the architect for the semifinal win over Esperance. He scores goals (he has four in the Champions League this season), but also been key in his side creating chances with his pace, skill on the ball and vision. He can spot a pass many others can’t, and also has the ability to put the ball where he wants it. It would not be a stretch to say he is in the form of his life.
DID YOU KNOW?
Only one team has beaten Al Ahly on their own patch in the Champions League in the last seven years – Mamelodi Sundowns in February last year. That is a run of 46 games with just one defeat. Wydad have not won on any of their previous five visits.
WYDAD CASABLANCA
CAF club ranking (IFFHS): 2
This season: P12 W6 D3 L3 GF17 GA6
Group A: Winners
Quarterfinals: D 1-1 on agg vs Simba SC (Tanzania) – won 4-3 on pens
Semifinals: D 2-2 on agg vs Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa) – won on away goals
Best Confederation Cup performance: Winners (1992, 2017, 2022)
CAMPAIGN SO FAR
It would be fair to say this has been a far from dominant campaign for defending champions Wydad, but somehow they find themselves in another final, their fourth since 2017. They have lost at Nigerian side Rovers United, JS Kabylie from Algeria and Simba SC from Tanzania, and won only six of their 12 games in the competition. They needed penalties to get past Simba in the quarterfinals and away goals to squeeze past Mamelodi Sundowns in the semis, and The Brazilians may well be still kicking themselves as to how they let this golden chance of a final place slip. This is possibly the least impressive Wydad side to reach a continental final, but what they have managed to do is ‘find a way’ when the chips are down. There is something to be said for that.
WHY THEY CAN GO ALL THE WAY
It will be a struggle, especially over two legs, but Wydad will have to believe they can do it. They can be difficult to break down and have all the wiles and tricks to frustrate Ahly. It is unlikely they will be able to dominate their opponents, so it will be about staying compact and waiting for the inevitable moments to pounce and score. Absolutely crucial will be a positive result in the home leg as they are unlikely to get much from Cairo. The fact they will play at home second is a bonus.
HOW DO THEY PLAY?
They mostly employ a 4-3-3, though sometimes with a various of that (4-2-3-1) depending on the circumstances. It is likely they may go with the latter against Ahly to try and match what the Egyptians are doing, as their usual more attacking set-up may be asking for trouble and easily picked apart by the Red Devils. They usually play with big Senegalese forward Bouly Sambou as their lead striker and use him as a targetman from which to play off.
THE COACH
Belgian trainer Sven Vandenbroeck is quite remarkably the sixth Wydad coach in under a year, their management showing Chippa United-esq levels of coaching attrition as they seek the right formula. That statistic is made more incredible by the fact that Wydad are African champions following their Champions League final victory over Pitso Mosimane’s Al Ahly a year ago and are only a point behind Morocco league leaders FAR Rabat with four rounds to play. In a season in which they could yet be domestic and African champions, the revolving door around their coaches has been something to behold.
To be fair, it is likely the man who took them to that title African title 12 months ago, Walid Regragui, would still be in charge had he not been poached for the Morocco national team and subsequently taken the Atlas Lions to the World Cup semifinals in Qatar. The 43-year-old Vandenbroeck had his first taste of African football when he went with current Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos to Cameroon in 2016, with the pair going onto win the Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Gabon the next year. He has since gone out on his own and managed Zambia’s national team, Simba of Tanzania, Morocco’s Royal Armed Forces and most recently Abha in Saudi Arabia.
KEY PLAYER
If Wydad are to be successful they are going to have to try and get a foothold in midfield and that is where Yahya Jabrane will be crucial. The experienced defensive midfielder has been central to their success in the past and remains so, both as a shield for the back four and a handy goal-scorer. He has three in the campaign so far. Jabrane has been a near ever-present for Wydad in the competition since he joined the club in 2018 and managed 11 goals in that time, often coming up with crucial strikes. He was also part of the Morocco squad at the World Cup in Qatar, coming off the bench against Canada and Portugal as they reached the semifinals.
DID YOU KNOW?
Wydad Casablanca was first formed as a water polo club in 1937, before soccer was introduced a few years later. Wydad is an Arabic word meaning ‘love’. They won the first of three Champions League titles in 1992 when they beat Al Hilal of Sudan in the two-legged final.
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