5 things to look out for in quarterfinals of African Champions League

RIYADH: The first legs of the African Champions League quarterfinals take place on Friday and Saturday, with six of the eight contenders representing Arab nations. Here are five talking points about the big games.

1. Al-Ahly hoping that history does and does not repeat itself

The defending champions wobbled a little in the group stage before pulling through and now the Egyptian titans have to prepare for a tough test against Raja Casablanca. There is no doubt that the Reds have what it takes to go all the way as they did in 2021 but there will be some concerns in the mind of coach Pitso Mosimane.

A lack of firepower almost cost the team in the group stage and the strikers will have to be less wasteful and the midfield more creative against the Moroccans.

There is something else. A first league defeat of the season last week saw Al-Ahly lose top spot to Cairo rivals Zamalek and bring a reminder of what happened last year. Zamalek were able to pull clear at home while Al-Ahly were busy overseas.

The Champions League campaign helped produce a fixture pile-up which meant that the Red Giants were unable to close the gap and had to settle for second in the domestic league. Still, the prospect of a record third straight African title means that Al-Ahly will be desperate to fight on all fronts and repeat last year’s continental success.

2. Time for a Moroccan win

It is no surprise to see both Raja Casablanca and Wydad AC in the last eight — the Moroccan pair are true heavyweights of African football with five continental championships between them. Yet only one of those wins have come in the 21st century when Wydad won in 2017. There have, however, been three runners-up spots in that time.

Raja, desperate to end their