Al Ahli club stars Ivan Toney and Eduard Mendy have arrived in South Africa to participate in the Continental Cup match against Mamelodi Sundowns. Their meeting is scheduled for Saturday at 3:00 PM at Loftus Versfeld stadium.
Toney and Mendy are prominent figures for Al Ahli. Both players have achieved international recognition in the English Premier League (EPL), playing for Brentford and Chelsea, respectively. Furthermore, they represent the national teams of England and Senegal. However, in recent years, they have been playing for Al Ahli, helping the team win the AFC Champions League two consecutive times.
Al Ahli's victory last season led them to face Oceania champions, Auckland City, in the final match. The winners of that encounter met with the CAF Champions League champions, Mamelodi Sundowns. Al Ahli defeated them at home with a score of 1-0.
Now, Al Ahli will play Sundowns in Pretoria for a spot in the Challenger Cup. In this tournament, they will meet either the winners of the Concacaf Champions Cup or the South American champions, who will be determined in November. The winner of the Challenger Cup will then play the UEFA Champions League champions, Paris Saint-Germain, in the Continental Cup final at the end of the year.
Upon arriving in the country's capital, Al Ahli is in a state of low morale. Their continental campaign has not started well, as they drew their last match against Pakhtakor. In the league, they show instability, having won four games and lost three in the first seven matches.
Their opponents, Mamelodi Sundowns, are in good form. They have not yet begun defending their continental title as they have been occupied with domestic competitions. Domestically, they rank first in the table with 20 points and are participating in the MTN8 final, where they will face Orlando Pirates on October 20.
In addition to an impressive start to the season, it is expected that Masandawana fans will support the team at Loftus Stadium, coloring it yellow and green to put pressure on players like Toney and Mendy.