CAF CL: Al Ahly, Sundowns target first leg advantage in the quarter finals

Wednesday April 1, 2025 fixtures

• Mamelodi Sundown vs Esperance – 4pm
• Al Ahly vs Al Hilal – 10pm
• MC Alger vs Orlando Pirates – 10pm
• Pyramids vs FAR Rabat – 10pm

Following a lengthy break, the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League is back with highly anticipated clashes in the quarter finals.

2016 winners Mamelodi Sundowns host Esperance de Tunis with their coach Miguel Cardoso facing former bosses.

Cardoso expects a tough match over two matches but wants to win the first leg in Pretoria.

“These matches are not 90-minute matches,” he told Cafonline. “This is just the first half, and we need to understand that whatever happens tomorrow, there is still another 90 minutes to play and it is the outcome of those two matches that will determine who goes ahead” concluded the coach.

Record winners, Al Ahly also at home take on Al Hilal of Sudan at the Cairo International stadium.

Head coach Marcel Koller takes a side into the game on the back of a three-match winless streak at home and has warned his charges against underrating the Sudanese who play their matches away from home.

“Al-Hilal have had good results away from home and are a tough opponent, but we’re focused on reaching the semi-finals,” Ahly coach Marcel Koller told reporters on Monday.

His counterpart Florent Ibenge is cautious and says playing the 12-time Caf champions league winners is more like playing a final.

“Facing Ahly is like playing a final, they’re strong even when they aren’t at their best,” he said.

Elsewhere, Orlando Pirates are away to MC Alger in Algeria while FAR Rabat plays away to Pyramids of Egypt.

The return leg matches will be played on April 8, 2025.

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