Fit-again Percy Tau, aka 'Lion of Judah' ready to roar against Sundowns

Cape Town — Fit-again playmaker Percy Tau, the 'Lion of Judah', is ready to roar again for Al Ahly, the pride of Egyptian football and Africa's No 1 ranked club.

This was the bad news that greeted Mamelodi Sundowns at their Cairo base on Tuesday morning. They are in Cairo preparing for Saturday night's CAF Champions Group A clash at the Al Salam Stadium in Cairo. Al Ahly's technical staff reported that Tau returned to light training last week and joined the squad for intense training on Monday.

An injury just over a month ago saw the gifted left-footer miss out on Al Ahly's campaign at the FIFA Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates. It was a huge blow for the Egyptians since he ranks among their most valuable assets after his R50m move from English Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion, a few months ago.

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Given Al Ahly's shaky performances of late, coach Pitso Mosimane may be forced to call on his trump card, who will be up against his former club for the first time since 2018, when he transferred to England.

By Tuesday, there has not been any news about Al Ahly's other trump card, the fans. The Egyptians are eagerly awaiting a response from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) after submitting a request to allow spectators at the match on Saturday.

The likely appearance of Tau, who plays alongside several Sundowns players in the South African national team, was not the only bad news. Sundowns co-head coach Rhulani Mokwena reported that the new Bolivia international signing Erwin Saavedra is a doubtful starter for Friday's match. He suffered a first-half injury in Sundowns' match against Sudanese outfit Al Merrikh