Al-Ahly enters the confrontation and its goal is to break the “curse” of reaching the final match, which eluded him during his seventh record participation in the championship.
The Club World Cup has always been associated with Al-Ahly club, as it is the most participating in it seven times among the major continents, second after Auckland New Zealand, which participated in it 9 times.
Final curse
Despite his many participations, Al-Ahly did not succeed in reaching the final in the past, and was stumbling in the previous roles.
Al-Ahly ranked third twice, in 2006 and 2020, the last of which was at the expense of Palmeiras itself in the last edition, on penalties.
The victory over Palmeiras in the last version will give a great motivation to the players, to overtake the South American champion once again, as the Brazilian club showed its capabilities that were clearly not greater than the African champion.
It is noteworthy that only two Arab clubs have previously reached the final of the tournament, namely, the Moroccan Raja in 2013, and the Emirati Al-Ain in 2018, and, ironically, both participated as hosts of the tournament and not as the champions of the continent.
Arabic final
Arab fans dream of watching an Arab world final, on the land of the Emirates, that brings together the African champion Al-Ahly, and the Asian champion Al-Hilal Saudi Arabia.
The Arab-Arab confrontation is not far-fetched, as both teams have strong elements, and they have one confrontation in the semi-final before reaching the dream final.
Points in favor of Al-Ahly
Despite the absence of a number of Al-Ahly members who participated in the African Nations Cup, most notably Amr Soulia and Mohamed El-Shennawy, the Al-Ahly squad appears to be strong.
Al-Ahly will rely heavily on Majdi “Afsha”, Hussein Al-Shahat, and the returning striker from the African Nations, Mohamed Sharif, in the offensive line, which must be decisive in the face of the powerful Palmeiras.
Al-Ahly’s strength also increased with the return of participants in the African nations, such as Tunisian Ali Maaloul and Malian Aliou Diang.
Al-Ahly will benefit from the crowd factor, which will gather tens of thousands behind it at Al Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi, and will create an atmosphere similar to playing in Egypt, when facing Palmeiras.
Al-Ahly will also benefit from the suspension of the Brazilian League, which ends at the end of last year, which means that Palmeiras and his players lack the sensitivity of matches and competitions, which gives an advantage to Al-Ahly.
