Ahly off form ahead of Coton clash in Confederation Cup

Johannesburg (AFP) - A record 18 CAF titles means Egyptians Al-Ahly are favourites to win virtually every African club competition they enter.

But a one-win-in-five-games run ahead of a CAF Confederation Cup semi-final at Cameroonians Coton Sport Saturday is hardly the form of potential title winners.

After a routine 2-0 home victory over Zambians Nkana in the first of six group games, the Cairo 'Red Devils' have won once, drawn thrice and lost once.

Ahly managed just three goals in the five-match run, adding to the headaches of recently appointed Spanish coach Juan Carlos Garrido.

Particularly disappointing was a goalless home draw with Tunisians Etoile Sahel, leaving Ahly needing the head-to-head rule to win the group ahead of Ivorians Sewe Sport.

Ahly, who have won the CAF Champions League eight times, the CAF Super Cup six times and the now defunct African Cup Winners Cup four times, are a team in transition.

Only injury-prone striker Emad Meteb remains of the great 2005-2008 squad that reached four consecutive Champions League finals.

Finding replacements for stars like defensive marshal Wael Gomaa and midfielders Mohamed Abou Trika and Mohamed Barakat, has proved frustratingly difficult.

A lack of cash compounds the problem with the club forced to play virtually all CAF and domestic games in empty stadiums because of ongoing Egyptian security concerns.

More than 70 mainly Ahly supporters died after post-match rioting in Port Said two years ago and supporters of the Cairo club have clashed with police several times since.

No spectators means greatly reduced revenue and the club no longer attracts foreign stars like Flavio and Gilberto, two Angolans in the all-conquering team of a decade ago.

Also gone is the massive advantage of being backed by fanatical crowds of up to 70,000 creating deafening noise around the Cairo Stadium

However, Ahly will draw some confidence from a good record against Coton, a club based in north-western cotton city Garoua.

The Egyptians prevailed 4-2 in the 2008 CAF Champions League final and won on penalties after a 2-2 aggregate deadlock in the semi-finals of the same competition last year.

Coton have also struggled lately, crashing 4-0 at home to Congolese AC Leopards before staging a partial recovery to hold Real Bamako in Mali.

Niger striker Daouda Kamilou played in the 2008 final and five Confederation Cup goals this season bears testimony to his enduring threat.

Leopards have become an increasingly powerful force since surprisingly winning the 2012 Confederation Cup and eight goals in two games spells danger for Ivorian hosts Sewe Sport Sunday.

After crushing Coton in Cameroon, the Congolese flogged another Ivorian outfit, ASEC Mimosas, 4-1 with teenager Kader Bidimbou and Cesaire Gandze bagging a brace each.

Sewe are no slouches, either. Having accumulated only three points from a possible 12 in group games, they won away to Tunisians Etoile Sahel and hammered Nkana at home.

Ivory Coast are among the most powerful African football nations and are long overdue a CAF club title -- the last came in 1999 when ASEC raised the Super Cup.