Al Ahly VS Orlando Pirates Venue: Cairo International Stadium, Cairo
Orlando Pirates VS Al Ahly Date: Saturday, January 18
BetXchange Orlando Pirates VS Al Ahly Odds:
History
Egypt’s Al Ahly and South Africa’s Orlando Pirates will play on Saturday in the 2024-25 CAF Champions League’s final group game.
This Round 6 clash will be played at Al Ahly’s home stadium in Cairo. It will determine who will top the group. Both Al Ahly and the Orlando Pirates have already qualified for the quarter-finals. The two legs of those ties will be played in late March and early April.
Plenty is on the line in this match, even though both teams are guaranteed to progress to the knockout stage. Theoretically, the group winner will get a better draw in the quarter-finals. Instead of a log-topping squad, they will play a second-placed team from one of the other three groups.
The Pirates currently lead Group C with 11 points, the most of the 16 teams in the competition. Along with AS FAR of Morocco, they are one of only two teams without a defeat.
These two teams met in Johannesburg in Round 2 of fixtures. It was a cagey match, with the two best teams in the group playing out a 0-0 draw. The home side had more shots (9 to 6) but fewer on target (2 to 5). Possession was split down the middle, 51.6% to 48.4%. It seems fair to expect more of the same in this return fixture.
Al Ahly
Al Ahly is comfortably the leading scoring team in the group stage. Their 13 goals through five games, including a 4-2 win over Stade d’Abidjan and a 6-1 thrashing of CR Belouizdad. They will expect to score in this one, even against a Pirates defense conceding just three goals through five matches.
They are also coming into this after a confidence-inspiring 2-0 win in league action on Wednesday. Emam Ashour bagged himself a double in the second half, scoring both goals on the night as they defeated El Gouma on home turf.
Orlando Pirates
The history between these two sides suggests that there will be plenty of needle in this match.
Rekebohike Nifikeng is always a player to watch. The South African Starboy has three goals in his last five matches, along with one assist, and is likely to be the main attacking threat for the Buccaneers once again.
Another player to watch out for is Makhehlene Makhaula. He will work from midfield, setting the tempo for the South African squad’s front three to attack. Without Makhuala providing a creative platform, the Pirates will struggle to create chances.
Best Bets
Al Ahly has been dominant at home in this competition. Their 10 goals in just two home matches are ridiculous. The Egyptians scored five times in the second half of their last home group fixture against their Algerian opponents. This is a team with bags of goals in it.
Orlando Pirates have had the better of this match historically. In seven previous meetings, the Buccaneers have won three games, there have been three draws, and the Red Devils have only come out on top one time.
The back-to-back CAF Champions League winners know the value of winning their group. Al Ahly will keep a clean sheet and come out on top. Look for a score of 1-0 or 2-0 to the home side on Saturday.
