Two giants of African club football will trade tackles in Lubumbashi as TP Mazembe host Al Ahly in the first leg of their CAF Champions League semifinal on Saturday.
The hosts are coming into the game on the back of a 2-1 away win over rivals AS Vita Club in the DR Congolese Ligue 1 over the weekend.
Al Ahly, meanwhile, fell to a 2-1 defeat away to arch-rivals Zamalek in the Egyptian Premier League on Monday
. Seifaddine Jaziri was the star of the show as he scored a brace to help his side win the Cairo Derby.The Red Devils will turn their focus to the continent, having booked their spot at this stage with a 3-0 aggregate win over Simba in the last round.
A 1-0 away win in Tanzania was followed by a 2-0 victory in Cairo. TP Mazembe qualified with a 2-1 aggregate win over Petro Atletico. They overcame the disappointment of a goalless draw at home to win 2-1 in Angola in the second leg.
TP Mazembe proved their mettle to eliminate the in-form Petro Luanda in the last round despite playing away from home in the second leg. They are coming up against even stronger opposition this time around and will have to make their home advantage count in the first leg.
Al Ahly are CAF Champions League winning specialists and have become synonymous with this competition throughout their history. The Egyptian giants are on course to defend their continental crown and are the only unbeaten side left in the competition.We are backing the spoils to be shared in a low-scoring stalemate.
TP Mazembe vs Al Ahly Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- Al Ahly have two wins and one draw from the last four head-to-head games.
- The two sides were drawn in Group B of the 2012 CAF Champions League. Al Ahly claimed a 2-1 home win while TP Mazembe won 2-0 at home.
- Al Ahly are unbeaten in their last 18 CAF Champions League games.
- TP Mazembe have lost just one of their last 18 competitive games (14 wins).
- Five of Al Ahly’s last six away games have witnessed more goals scored in the second half than the first.
- TP Mazembe are unbeaten across their last 17 home games in all competitions (15 wins).
