Al Ahly goalkeeper and captain Mohamed El Shenawy does not feel the sold-out crowd will impact how they play against Orlando Pirates in the CAF Champions League.
Pirates host Al Ahly at the Orlando Stadium on Saturday December 7 and the Buccaneers have confirmed that the stadium is sold-out for the match, setting up the stage for a charged atmosphere.
While Pirates are looking to reap from the impact of the 12th man, El Shenawy is unbothered as he says his team-mates are already used to playing in front of big crowds at home and on the continent.
“It’s really different to play outside the stadium of Al Ahly in Cairo, we are very happy when we play there also for the supporters from the stadium offer us massive support and we know that tomorrow [Saturday] also it will be packed with Pirates fans,” El Shenawy said on Friday.
Will packed stadium give Pirates the edge?
“But it’s no different for us, we are Al Ahly. We have a lot of experience with such situations and in the end, it’s 11 players against 11 players, so it’s not a matter of having many supporters.
“We have a lot of experience, we have a lot of respect for this and our hope is just to take home the three points from here.”
Indeed, Al Ahly have a lot of experience given they have won a record 12 Champions League crowns, including the last two, and the onus will be on Pirates to get a result even though they are playing at home.
Jose Riveiro’s team are back in the group stages for the first time since 2019 and started with a 2-1 win away to CR Belouizdad of Algeria while Al Ahly beat Stade d’Abidjan from Ivory Coast 4-2 in their opening match.
