Ahly up for Cup win

Ahly (blue) beat Beloiuzdad on way to the final

By BBC Sport Online's Amr Shaheen in Cairo

Egyptian club Al-Ahly players are looking forward to this Friday's African Champions League second leg final with cautious optimism.

Their teeming fans are confident Ahly will beat South African club Mamelodi Sundowns to win the trophy.

The first leg in Pretoria, a fortnight ago, ended in a 1-1 draw and if Ahly lift the trophy, it will be their third time in the tournament's 37-year-old history.

But the players are not allowing the thought get into their heads.

Aware of the pressure, the team has been taken from their Cairo base to the secluded northern city of Ismailia for final preparations.

Ahly's Portuguese coach Manuel Jose has drafted top defender Ibrahim Saied into the squad, but there are still doubts whether he will be fit enough to play.

He missed the first leg because of a knee injury.

Prestigious

Striker Bibo, who missed the first leg due to suspension, is back in the side, as well.

Jose said: "We really missed Bibo in Pretoria because he would have been very effective in front of goal to give us a win."

Bibo scored the goal in Ahly's 1-0 defeat of Sohag - the only domestic match Ahly has played since returning from Pretoria.

Fifa and Caf presidents Sepp Blatter and Issa Hayatou will grace the ocassion - the last match of Africa's most prestigious club event.

Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak is also expected to be among the almost 120,000 spectators at the stadium.

Mubarak was in the Cairo stadium in 1987 - the last time Ahly won the Champions Cup, beating El Hilal of Sudan 2-0 over two legs.