The CAF Confederation Cup semi-finals matches are set to reach their climax as Dreams FC of Ghana welcome Egyptian giants Zamalek in what promises to be a gripping encounter.
In the first leg at Cairo Stadium, Zamalek and Dreams played out a tense goalless draw, leaving everything to play for the return fixture in Kumasi on Sunday.
Zamalek, motivated to halt Dreams' remarkable journey in the competition, will be eager to secure their ticket to the final.
Led by Portuguese coach Jose Gomez, Zamalek will look to capitalise on their attacking prowess, with the trio of Ahmed Fattouh, Omar Gaber, and Ahmed Mustafa "Zizou" leading the charge.
However, the likely absence of captain Mahmoud Abdel Razek "Shikabala" due to injury could pose a challenge for the Whites.
Dreams, under the guidance of coach Abdul Karim Zito, will rely on their solid defensive style and the goal-scoring prowess of competition top scorer John Antwi.
With five goals to his name, Antwi will be instrumental as Dreams seek to upset the odds and secure a spot in the final.
As the dark horse of the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup , Dreams will be determined to continue their impressive run and make history for Ghanaian football.
Meanwhile, in the other semi-final clash, RS Berkane of Morocco will face USM Alger, following the events of the first leg.
With the Algerian team declared losers (0-3), USM Alger faces an uphill battle as they seek to overturn their deficit and book their place in the final.
Led by Spanish coach Juan Garrido, USM Alger will rely on the experience and brilliance of players like Zinedine Belaid and Nabil Lamara to mount a comeback.
RS Berkane, guided by Tunisian coach Moin Chaabani, will be determined to hold onto their advantage and secure their spot in the final.
With goalkeeper Hamza Al-Hamiani and a talented squad at their disposal, RS Berkane will look to capitalize on home advantage and seal their place in the title decider.
With both matches finely poised, African football fans are in for a thrilling weekend as the second-leg matches of semi-finals of the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup are played on Sunday.
All Statistics and historic facts on the game
Zamalek will be looking forward for their second CAF Confederation Cup title after winning it during the 2018/19 season. They defeated RS Berkane of Morocco
✓ Zamalek FC last visit to the Kumasi Sports Stadium was in February 2001 against Hearts of Oak in the CAF Super Cup. Hearts of Oak won the title with a 2-0 victory courtesy goals from Charles Taylor and Emmanuel Osei Kuffour.
✓Zamalek last trip to Ghana was in July 2012 against Berekum Chelsea in a Group B fixture of the CAF Champions League. They lost 3-2 to Chelsea.
•Berekum Chelsea held them to a 1-1 draw in the reverse leg fixture in Cairo
✓ Zamalek are yet pick a win on Ghanaian soil against any club. Their best result was against Asante Kotoko which was a 0-0 draw in the first leg tie of the 1993 CAF Champions League final.
Zamalek won 7-6 on penalties when the second leg also ended 0-0 in Cairo.
✓In 1987, Asante Kotoko handed Zamalek a heavy 5-1 defeat at the Kumasi Sports Stadium in the CAF Champions League return leg tie after Kotoko had lost 2-0 in the first leg to Zamalek.
✓ AshantiGold SC also whipped them 3-1 in Obuasi when they battled it out in CAF Champions League group B game in 1997.
✓Dreams FC becomes the 5th Ghanaian club to face Zamalek FC in any CAF inter-club competition after Asante Kotoko, Hearts of Oak, AshantiGold and Berekum Chelsea.
✓ Dreams FC will be the 7th West African club to reach the Confederation Cup final since its inception 20 years ago.
•Hearts of Oak, Asante Kotoko, Stade Malien, AC Djoliba, Dolphins FC and Sewe Sport are the clubs to make it to the final.
✓ Should Dreams FC beat Zamalek SC today and secure a historic spot in the finals, Ghana will have four teams in Africa next season. Two in Champions League and two in Confederation Cup.
✓ John Antwi of Dreams FC is the top scorer of the CAF Confederation Cup with 6 goals
• Dreams FC have an average starting age of 22 years, 102 days in the CAF Confederation Cup this season.
• Dreams FC are unbeaten at home in their debut season in the CAF Confederation Cup (W3 D1), scoring eight goals and conceding just two.
• Zamalek are unbeaten in their last four away games in the CAF Confederation Cup (W3 D1), they’ve never gone five consecutive games on the road in the competition without defeat.
•Dreams’ Abdul Aziz Issah (48) and Agyenim Boateng (36) have been involved in more open play sequences that end in a shot than any other players in the CAF Confederation Cup this season.
•Zamalek have had eight different scorers in the CAF Confederation Cup this season.
•Zamalek is the only team averaging more than 60% possession in the CAF Confederation Cup this season (63%), playing 89% of their passes short and have a passing accuracy of 85%, the highest percentages in the competition.
•Dreams FC have won possession 445 times overall in the CAF Confederation Cup this season and recovered the ball 41 times in the final third, both more than any other side in the competition.
•Abdul Aziz Assah has been directly involved in 52 shots (46% of his teams’ total, 52/113) in the CAF Confederation Cup this season (38 shots, 14 chances created), at least 20 more than any other player in the competition.
