Photo: Al Ahly SC
Al Ahly midfielder Walid Soliman spoke on the importance of winning the Arab Club Championship and the upcoming clash against Al Nejmeh.
Al Ahly are set to begin their journey in their third tournament this season on Monday when they face Lebanese side Al Nejmeh in the Arab Club Championship. Though the Red Devils’ schedule has been unforgiving, the team has managed to get positive results out of their most recent matches.
“Winning the Arab Club Championship is one of the goals that everyone on the team wants to achieve. We are preparing for it [Arab Club Championship] and giving it importance not any less than the CAF Champions League. The two titles are equally important to the players and the technical staff,” Soliman told Al Ahly’s official website.
Al Ahly came very close to winning both titles last season, but lost in the semi-finals to Al Faisaly in the Arab Club Championship and lost to Wydad in the final of the Champions League.
“Al Ahly knows nothing but first place and doesn’t participate in a competition without wanting to win a title especially since there is a desire to have a great season and to win all the titles,” the 33-year-old midfielder continued.
“There is a lot of pressure on the team due to the quality of the matches and for traveling many hours in the recent period which has made the players exhausted and has impacted the general quality,” Soliman reflected.
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“The players are persistent in dealing with the pressure and perform strongly in all of the games and that’s what was accomplished against Ismaily and Al Masry. I hope the team is successful in beating Al Nejmeh to get a boost before playing Espérance in the CAF Champions League,” he concluded.
After facing Al Nejmeh on Monday, Al Ahly will return to continental play when they face Espérance on August 17. The Red Devils will be looking to secure their spot in the knockout stages.
