Arabnews24.ca:Tuesday 31 January 2023 05:21 AM: TANGIER, Morocco (News Wires) — Egyptian giants Al-Ahly finished preparations in readiness for their clash against New Zealand’s Auckland City on Wednesday at Ibn Batouta Stadium in Morocco in the opening of the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup at 9:00pm Cairo Local Time.
The Red Devils will be setting their sights high and is hoping to break new ground at the tournament, having finished third on three occasions. Auckland City’s best finish is also third, attained in the 2014 edition.
The winners of this contest will face Major League Soccer outfit Seattle Sounders in the second round on Saturday.
The six continental champions, plus the champions of the host country participate. In the case of Morocco, their champions Wydad Casablanca are also African champions, so last season’s African Champions League runners-up Al-Ahly of Egypt are also in the field.
Managed by former Switzerland international Marcel Koller, Al-Ahly will be bidding to go one better than the previous two seasons at the Club World Cup in which they finished in third place after beating Palmeiras and Al-Hilal respectively to claim the bronze medal.
Al-Ahly, who qualifies as one of two African representatives, has won bronze at the FIFA Club World Cup on three occasions – 2006, 2020 and 2021.
Al-Ahly has made a strong start to the 2022-23 campaign since it began in mid-October, winning 16 games and drawing four of their 20 matches across all competitions.
The 42-time Egyptian top-flight champions currently sit six points clear at the top of the table with a game in hand, and they head into Wednesday’s contest having not conceded a league goal for over seven hours since the turn of the year.
As for Auckland City, the Oceania champions will be seeking revenge against Al-Ahly after losing 2-0 to the Egyptian side in the quarter-finals of the 2006 Club World Cup, courtesy of strikes from Flavio and Mohamed Aboutrika.
Mahmoud el-Khatib, the club’s president, held a meeting with the players where he underlined the importance of Wednesday’s game, noting that that all the players must put on a strong performance and achieve victory.
El-Khatib added that he has great confidence in the coaching staff and the players that they will do their best and will secure a great achievement, which meets the high expectations of Al-Ahly fans.
Defender Ramy Rabia expressed his happiness on his fourth participation with Ahly in the FIFA Club World Cup. “We had better preparations this year for the competition than the previous year.”
“I participated in two competitions with the previous generation, and another two competitions with the current generation. Everyone is keen to do their best and secure great achievement,” Rabia explained.
“The whole team focuses on each game only. We are preparing well for Auckland City’s match and are keen to win and advance to the next round.”
“I hope that Al-Ahly fans will continue their constant support and I ensure them that our goal is to make them happy,” Rabia said.
Tunisian youngster Mohamed Dhaoui said that he is honoured to participate with Al-Ahly in the FIFA Club World Cup.
“I am so glad of the team spirit we have. Since my first day with the team, everyone was keen to help and support me to adapt faster,” Dhaoui said according to the club official website.
“Al-Ahly is used to winning many titles and I hope that we will be able to add another achievement this year to this great club.”
“When I was young, my friends and family used to call me “Cristo”. I am glad that Al-Ahly fans are calling me it.”
“I received a warm welcome from fans since I arrived in Cairo. The least I can do for them is to help the team win more trophies to make them happy,” Dhaoui added.
“The competition is not easy. We will start the campaign by facing a strong team, Auckland City FC. We wish to win the game and advance to the next round, but we focus on each game only to achieve victory,” Al-Ahly new midfielder Marwan Attia noted.
“I would like to thank fans for their constant support and I hope that we can secure a great achievement this year to make them happy.”
“The current generation had a great experience after the two previous participations in the competition. This will be Al-Ahly’s eighth time participating in this prestigious competition,” Ahly defender Ayman Ashraf said.
“Every player dreams of facing Real Madrid. This competition puts us face one of the biggest teams in Europe. However, it’s so early to speak about this game right now.”
“We are currently focused on our game against Auckland City FC. We are preparing very well for the game and we aim to secure the victory to make our fans happy.”
“The experienced players in the team always help the youngsters and the newcomers. We gained a lot of experience from the previous player and it is our duty to help the younger generations,” Ashraf explained.
Factbox for the Club World Cup:
Flamengo (Brazil and South America) – second participation
Al-Ahly (Egypt and Africa) – eighth participation
Wydad Casablanca (Morocco) – second participation
Auckland City (New Zealand and Oceania) – 10th participation (record)
Al-Hilal (Saudi Arabia and Asia) – third participation
Real Madrid (Spain and Europe) – sixth participation
Seattle Sounders (US and CONCACAF) – debut
