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Preview: Ahly eye group-stage spot in competition they are unfamiliar with Ahly will be looking to reach the group stage when they visit Morocco's Difaa Jadida in the second leg of the African Confederation Cup round of 16 on Saturday
Amid little interest from their supporters, who are more accustomed to cheering on their side in the elite Champions League, Ahly will continue their quest to become the first Egyptian side to win the Confederation Cup when they face Morocco's Difaa Jadida on Saturday. Ahly will be looking to protect a slender 1-0 first-leg advantage when they play Jadida away from home in the round of 16 second leg as they eye a group-stage spot in their second appearance at Africa's secondary club competition. The Confederation Cup has eluded Egyptian clubs since it was introduced in 2004 by merging the African Cup Winners' Cup and the CAF Cup in a single competition. “We have high ambitions in that tournament. We want to win it for the first time in our history,” Ahly football director Hadi Khashaba said on the club's official website. The Red Devils recovered from a poor domestic run to record some Egyptian Premier League wins lately, which put them in a comfortable positionto qualify for the final four-team mini-league phase as they seek to defend the title they had won the past seven seasons. However, they remain hardly convincing. Lack of spark and creativity is still obvious, with playmaker Abdallah El-Said, tasked with filling in for retired talisman Mohamed Abou-Treika, only showing flashes of his talent. Their porous and ageing backline also suffers against pacy opponents and their central midfield does not boast an assured holder and good passer of the ball. They could only claim a 1-0 home win over Jadida, thanks to a powerful first-half shot from El-Said but they will have to remain cautious in the second leg if they are to go through. “The game will not be easy, given that Jadida will enjoy home advantage in the presence of their fans,” Khashaba added. “Our narrow victory has also given them hope that they could win. That makes the return leg more difficult.” Ahly will miss influential right-back Ahmed Fathi through suspension. Long-term absentees Walid Soliman and Emad Meteb remain out. (For more sports news and updates,followAhramOnline Sportson Twitter at@AO_Sportsand on Facebook atAhramOnlineSports.) http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/99826.aspx