CAIRO, 7 February 2023: Carlo Ancelotti, the Italian coach of the Spanish club Real Madrid, praised the capabilities of Al-Ahly ahead of the upcoming showdown in the semi-finals of the FIFA Club World Cup.
"The FIFA Club World Cup is always an important event, and that means we have to do things well, we are very excited, we have many fans who we can make happy and we have the opportunity to finish what we started last year well, the FIFA Club World Cup can be a boost for what is coming,"Ancelotti said in his remarks during the press conference for the match.
He added:"Al Ahly have a great history, won many titles, have experience in these tournaments, have a good organization, their players have speed, they have the same desire as ours, which is to lift the cup.
On the condition of the injured in his team, he said: "Thibaut Courtois, Militao and Karim Benzema are on the list and have stayed in Madrid to continue treatment, and if they are healthy, they will join us on Saturday.
"The stadium will be full of many Al Ahly fans but there will also be our fans, I think they will enjoy the game a lot,"he continued.
Al-Ahly previously played in the Club World Cup semi-finals four times. The first was in 2006 edition, and Al-Ahly won the first bronze medal in their history over the Mexican Club America.
The second was in 2012, and Al-Ahly ranked fourth, and the third was the 2021 edition, and Al-Ahly won the bronze medal for the second time in their history over the Brazilian Palmeiras.
The last time was in 2022, when Al-Ahly won the bronze medal for the third time in their history after thrashing Saudi club, Al Hilal, 4-0.
Al-Ahly is participating in the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup, for the eighth time in their history, and the third in a row, and the Red devils participated in 7 previous editions in 2005, 2006, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2020 and 2021.
Al Ahly & Real Madrid faced each other one time before and it was in 2001. Al Ahly defeated Real Madrid Galacticos 1-0 thanks to Nigerian player Sunday. The Spanish giants squad then included Luis Figo, Roberto Carlos, Zinedine Zidane and Raul Gonzales.
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