Pyramids vs AS FAR: Match Preview, Prediction and Betting Tips

Pyramids welcome AS FAR to the 30 June Air Defence Stadium on Saturday, March 21 for the second leg of their CAF Champions League quarter-final tie, with the aggregate score locked at 1-1 after a tightly contested first leg in Rabat.

The defending champions hold the advantage of home soil in what promises to be a cagey, high-stakes encounter where the margin for error is razor thin.

Pyramids topped Group A with an imperious 16 points from six matches, going unbeaten throughout, while AS FAR qualified as runners-up in Group B behind Al Ahly with nine points from two wins, three draws, and one defeat.

Everything is on the line here, with a semi-final spot the prize for whoever can come out on top across the 90 minutes in Cairo.

Match Preview

The Bigger Picture

Pyramids are the reigning CAF Champions League holders after their historic maiden title triumph last season, beating Mamelodi Sundowns 3-2 on aggregate in the final.

They backed that up with the CAF Super Cup in October 2025, when Fiston Mayele’s 75th-minute strike secured a 1-0 victory over RS Berkane.

Domestically, they sit second in the Egyptian Premier League on 37 points, level with Zamalek but trailing on goal difference, having won 23 of their 33 matches this season across all competitions.

AS FAR, meanwhile, are chasing a return to continental glory that would echo their 1985 Champions League triumph.

The Moroccan military club currently occupy second in the Botola Pro, and their form has been solid under Portuguese coach Alexandre Santos, who was appointed in February 2025.

They are unbeaten in eight league matches, with five wins and three draws, scoring 14 goals and conceding just one at home in all competitions this season.

First Leg Recap

The first leg in Rabat on March 13 finished 1-1 in unusual circumstances.

AS FAR were forced to play behind closed doors following a CAF sanction imposed after crowd trouble during a previous Champions League game against Al Ahly.

That stripped the Moroccans of the raucous atmosphere at the Stade Olympique that usually gives visiting teams such a hard time.

Ahmed Hammoudan fired the hosts ahead in the eighth minute, finishing confidently from Zinedine Derrag’s pass, but Mahmoud Zalaka levelled for Pyramids early in the second half with a close-range finish from a corner.

Neither side could find a winner, and the tie heads to Cairo with everything still to play for.

Recent Form

Pyramids come into this one with serious momentum, having won five consecutive away fixtures across all competitions, scoring 13 and conceding just four in those games.

Their last league outing before the first leg was a 1-0 away win at National Bank of Egypt, while they thrashed Ghazl El Mahallah 3-1 the week before that.

At home, they have been typically formidable this season, with the 30 June Stadium proving a fortress under Krunoslav Jurcic.

AS FAR’s form is steady rather than spectacular away from Rabat, winning just one of their previous five games on the road in all competitions.

Their last league match was a goalless draw with Renaissance Zemamra, and while their defensive record away from home is respectable, they have not looked particularly threatening in attack on their travels.

That said, Santos’s side are nine matches unbeaten across all competitions, which speaks volumes about their organisation and resilience.

Head to Head

The two clubs have met five times in African continental competition, with the overall record favouring AS FAR.

The Moroccans have won twice, Pyramids have won once, and there have been two draws (including last week’s first leg).

The most recent meeting before this quarter-final was in April 2024 during the CAF Champions League group stage, when AS FAR beat Pyramids 2-0 in Rabat.

That result will give Santos’s men encouragement that they can compete with the defending champions, even if the challenge of winning in Cairo is a different proposition entirely.

Pyramids did draw 2-2 with FAR in the reverse group stage fixture in Egypt during the 2022-23 CAF Confederation Cup, so there is at least some precedent for goals from both sides when they meet on Egyptian soil.

The key takeaway from the head-to-head record is that AS FAR have never lost to Pyramids when scoring first, which adds extra weight to the importance of that opening goal on Saturday.

Team News

Pyramids

The biggest absence for Pyramids is Moroccan international midfielder Walid El Karti, who remains sidelined with a thigh muscle injury sustained during the Egyptian League match against Haras El Hodoud.

El Karti missed the first leg as well and is not expected back until later this month at the earliest.

Defender Mohamed Hamdi also missed the first leg through injury and remains a doubt, though the club have not confirmed the full extent of his fitness ahead of Saturday.

Fiston Mayele, who ended a 125-day goal drought when he scored against Ghazl El Mahallah in late February to become Pyramids’ all-time leading scorer with 50 goals, will lead the line once more.

Ahmed El Shenawy is expected to retain his place in goal, with the experienced shot-stopper a calming presence behind a defence marshalled by Ahmed Samy and Mohamed Chibi.

Nasser Maher, who has four goals in seven Champions League appearances this season, has been the creative heartbeat and will likely start in an advanced midfield role.

Predicted Pyramids XI (4-4-2)

El Shenawy; Chibi, Samy, Osama Galal, Hamdan; Mohanad Lasheen, Ahmed Tawfik, Nasser Maher, Zalaka; Mostafa Ziko, Mayele

AS FAR

The big boost for Santos is the return of captain Mohamed Rabie Hrimat, who missed the first leg through suspension after accumulating three yellow cards.

Hrimat is AS FAR’s top scorer in the Botola Pro this season with five goals and his leadership and box-to-box energy were sorely missed in Rabat.

Goalkeeper Reda Tagnaouti has been included in the travelling squad despite lingering effects of an injury he picked up in a collision with teammate Anas Bach during a league match against Ittihad Touarga.

He started the first leg and should be fit enough to continue, though 20-year-old Abdelhakim Mesbahi will be on standby if he fails a late fitness test.

Nolan Mbemba and Taoufik Razko, who missed the first leg through injury, remain uncertain for the second leg.

Ahmed Hammoudan, the first-leg goalscorer, will be full of confidence and is expected to retain his spot on the wing alongside the dangerous Youssef El Fahli.

Predicted AS FAR XI (3-4-2-1)

The Managers

Krunoslav Jurcic (Pyramids)

The Croatian took charge of Pyramids in February 2024 and has since transformed the club into a genuine continental force.

He guided them to the Egypt Cup, their first-ever title, before masterminding last season’s Champions League triumph over Sundowns.

His record at the club speaks for itself: Jurcic has won trophies in each of his two seasons and has built a side that is comfortable both dominating possession and sitting deep to absorb pressure before hitting on the counter.

The 56-year-old previously managed Dinamo Zagreb, winning back-to-back Croatian league titles in 2009 and 2010, and his European experience has clearly shaped his approach to two-legged knockout ties.

Expect him to set Pyramids up to control the tempo at home, making the 30 June Stadium an uncomfortable place for visiting teams.

Alexandre Santos (AS FAR)

Santos arrived at AS FAR in February 2025, inheriting a squad already qualified for the Champions League quarter-finals under his predecessor Hubert Velud.

The 49-year-old Portuguese brings continental pedigree from his time at Petro de Luanda in Angola, where he won a remarkable three consecutive league and cup doubles.

His stint at CS Sfaxien in Tunisia was less successful, but the move to Morocco has revitalised his career and he has overseen an eight-match unbeaten run in the Botola Pro.

Santos favours a structured 4-2-3-1 or 3-4-2-1 shape and has shown a willingness to be pragmatic in big away games, which could be the key to how FAR approach this second leg.

He described Pyramids’ equaliser in the first leg as coming from a mistake, but also spoke confidently about competing in Cairo.

Tactical Preview

The first leg offered a useful blueprint for how these two sides match up.

AS FAR deployed a 3-4-2-1 formation in Rabat, using three centre-backs to give themselves a numerical advantage at the back while relying on wide players like Anas Bach and To Carneiro to provide width.

Pyramids set up in their preferred 4-4-2, with Fiston Mayele and Mostafa Ziko up front and Nasser Maher operating as the main creative influence from midfield.

The key tactical battle will be in the central midfield areas, where the return of Hrimat gives AS FAR a significant upgrade in quality and physicality.

Without El Karti, Pyramids lose some of their ball-winning capability in the middle of the park, and Santos will look to exploit that.

For Pyramids, the obvious route to goal is through set pieces, an area where they were dangerous in the first leg, with Zalaka’s equaliser coming from a corner.

Their physical presence in the box from dead-ball situations will worry the AS FAR defence, particularly with tall, powerful forwards like Mayele and centre-back Ahmed Samy both posing aerial threats.

FAR will likely sit deep and look to hit Pyramids on the break through the pace of El Fahli and Hammoudan, knowing that a single away goal would put enormous pressure on the hosts.

Final Score Prediction