Al-Ahly out to protect lead while Wydad hope to turn things round

Al-Ahly are to host Wydad Casablanca in the return leg of the African Champions League semi-finals at Cairo international Stadium on Friday, with the Egyptian champions targeting a shot at their ninth title and the Moroccans hoping they can recover from defeat in the first leg.

The Egyptian Red Devils dominated last Saturday's first leg and claimed a 2-0 victory with the two goals coming courtesy of Mohamed Magdy Afsha and Ali Ma'loul at Mohamed V Stadium.

Wydad and Al-Ahly absentees

Wydad are still suffering from the absence of key players including Salaheddine Saidi, who contracted covid-19, and Ayoub  El Amloud, who hasn't fully recovered from injury yet.

Al-Ahly's situation is better as the squad has received a boost with the return of the striker Mahmoud Kahraba, but it's expected that coach Pitso Mosimane won't name the player in his starting line-up to avoid a recurrence of his injury.

Wydad have never beaten Al-Ahly in Cairo

The teams have met in Egypt on four occasions, with three of them ending in a draw and AlAhly claiming victory once.

Al-Ahly are eyeing a return to the final after the defeat they endured in 2018's trophy decider, while Wydad are targeting a second consecutive appearance in the showpiece fixture, as they reached last year's final before pulling out of their face-off with Espérance Sportive de Tunis in a game that witnessed rioting and chaotic behaviour before the Tunisians were deemed champions.