Egyptian giants Al Ahly landed in Johannesburg early Thursday morning ahead of the tense CAF Champions League meeting with Mamelodi Sundowns on Saturday afternoon at Loftus.
To signify the importance of this fixture they were met by the Egyptian ambassador to South Africa, Ahmed El Fadly and the staff of the Egyptian embassy.
The weight of this match cannot be underestimated for the Egyptian as defeat could leave them on the brink of elimination from the competition that always defines the success of their season.
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So far, Ahly have suffered defeat away at Al Hilal, drawn with Sundowns at home and taken three points from whipping boys Cotonsport in the group and will need more to improve their results in the reverse fixtures to remain alive.
Al Hilal lead the standings with nine points having played one game more than both Sundowns (7 points) and Ahly (4 points).
This then means defeat for Ahly on Saturday will be disastrous as it will leave them with four with two games to play.
Even if they win away at Cotonsport and at home to Al Hilal that might not be enough.
The Brazilians will then be expected to surrender all the points at Al Hilal and then take all three at home against Cotonsport to finish top of the group on 13 points.
This will mean Al Hilal finish second with 12 points while Ahly will be on 10 and out.
A draw on Saturday will create complications for The Brazilians in that they will then need to avoid defeat at Al Hilal to be certain of not needing to look over their shoulders when they win against Cotonsport in their last group match.
Sundowns have already announced that they are allowing free entry to Loftus on Saturday for the game against Ahly.
Failure to reach the quarterfinals of the Champions League will be disastrous for The Brazilians considering what they have spent in seeking to land a second star.
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