CAF Champions League: fiery Al Ahly v Mamelodi Sundowns, Raja go for a third win

Here we go again! The draw has put the two heavyweights Al Ahly and Mamelodi in the same Champions League group. Last season, they parted amid controversy. The Egyptian club had justified their 1-0 defeat in South Africa on matchday 4 by pointing to incidents just before the game around the stadium, and pointed the finger at the officials of Mamelodi Sundowns. There is therefore a whiff of revenge in the air in Cairo this Saturday. It has prompted the Egyptian authorities to act, and they have given the green light for 10,000 fans to attend the showdown.

Beaten by Al Hilal (1-0) last week on their debut in the competition, the Cairo side have played only one match, after their game against Coton Sport was postponed because of their participation in the Club World Cup. The Red Devils, last season's beaten finalists, cannot afford a slip. They want to claim their first win of the campaign on the continental stage.

On the other side, the South Africans are in sparkling form in this Champions League, with maximum points from two outings against Al Hilal (1-0) and Coton Sport (1-3). Top of Group B, Mamelodi Sundowns arrive in Cairo as leaders. The threat of Al Hilal, who beat Coton Sport yesterday (1-2) and so join the South Africans at the top of the group, is nevertheless present.

Top-of-the-table clash between Raja Club and Horoya

Undisputed leaders of Group C in the Champions League, Raja de Casablanca (6 pts) are in very positive form. The Moroccan club have recorded two impressive wins (5-0 against Vipers and 3-0 against Simba SC), which highlight both the defensive solidity and, above all, the attacking talent at coach Fouzi Benzarti's disposal. Hamza Khabba's team-mates host Horoya de Conakry (4 pts) at the Mohamed V complex on matchday 3, aiming to take a strong position in the race to qualify.

The Guinean champions, however, arrive with the ambition of finishing top of the group if they win. The Horoya delegation decided to base themselves in Morocco from Monday to prepare for this clash in the best possible conditions. Elsewhere, the Ugandans of Vipers and the Tanzanians of Simba will try to use the occasion to claim their first win of this campaign.

JS Kabylie looking to take off

In Group A, Wydad AC (3 pts) picked up their first win yesterday, beating Petro de Luanda (1-0). The result automatically puts pressure on the Congolese side Vita Club (0 pts), who cannot afford any more slip-ups if they do not want to be eliminated from the Champions League. The opposition is far from a walk in the park. Algerian club JS Kabylie, group leaders (4 pts), travel to Congo hoping to capitalise on the poor result of Angola's Petro de Luanda to go top on their own.

Zamalek SC, backs to the wall, take on Espérance Tunis

It is a clash of extremes. Espérance Tunis (6 pts) are cruising at the top of Group D while Zamalek SC (1 pt) are bottom. The Tunisians are aiming for a third straight Champions League win to confirm their fine form in this first half of the group stage and pull clear of rivals such as Al-Merreikh and Belouizdad, who are right behind them. Zamalek, by contrast, need to get their heads right quickly to get a positive result. With his whole squad available, White Knights coach Jesualdo Ferreira is considering making several changes to provide a jolt and avoid sliding into crisis.

Matchday 3 CAF Champions League schedule (GMT)

13:00: Vita Club – JS Kabylie

16:00: Vipers SC – Simba SC

16:00: Espérance Tunis – Zamalek

19:00: Al Ahly – Mamelodi Sundowns

19:00: Raja Club – Horoya