Al-Hilal Brazilian coach Ricardo Ferreira said he was not worried that his team was drawn in the same group with African champions Ahli in the CAF Champions League quarter-finals group phase. The Sudanese outfit have an uphill task in their Group B which includes Tunisian giants Esperance and Ivory Coast's ASEC Mimosas in addition to the title holders. The Brazilian coach said he is glad to face teams familiar to his side, which had previous experiences against African powerhouses. "I think the draw is fair, I am happy to be drawn with the likes of Ahli and ASEC because we know these teams well," Ferreira told Sudanese newspaper Al-Mashaheer. "We know we are up against the best of the continent, but we will do our best to reach the semi-finals." The newspaper said that the Sudanese team will camp in Egypt in preparation for the opener against Ahli, and it is expected that they will arrange a friendly against Ismaili.
Merrikh's coach Otto Pfister On the other hand, Hilal's arch rivals Al-Merrikh will camp in Germany in preparation for the African Confederation Cup group stage next month. "We will arrange a preparation camp in Germany for the group phase," Football director Ibrahim Hussein told Al-Rai Al-Aam newspaper. Merrikh reached the group stage for the first time ever, as they were drawn with Ismaili of Egypt and Nigerian duo Dolphin FC and Kwara United. "We are fine with the draw, but our ambitions are far beyond the group stage and we can go on to win the trophy," said Hussein. Merrikh will benefit from the experience of their German manager Otto Pfister, who had long spells coaching Arab and African teams. "We are fortunate because our manager knows African and Arab teams well," Hussein added.
