TP Mazembe vs AL Ahly SC (EGY) Prediction & Betting Tips - CAF Champions League

Prediction published on 18/04/2024, 09:00  by Devesh Jaganath in CAF Champions League Predictions

The semi-final of the CAF Champions League will get underway this weekend, with TP Mazembe playing host to Al Ahly on Saturday afternoon. The Congolese side will have the home-field advantage for the first leg of this tie, and the winner across both legs will move on to face either Mamelodi Sundowns or ES Tunis in the grand final. TP Mazembe are enjoying an excellent season so far. Last term, they ended bottom of their group in the CAF Confederation Cup with just one win in their six group-stage matches. This season, though, they bagged ten points in their six games in Africa’s premier competition, finishing just three points behind Sundowns. Thereafter, the Ravens pulled off an incredible comeback in the quarter-final, scoring two goals in the final eight minutes of the second leg to win the tie 2-1 on aggregate. The hosts are featuring in the last four of this competition for the first time since 2018-19 and have not won the cup since 2014-15 but are the bookmakers favourites for this home leg. 

Meanwhile, Al Ahly have been going about their business as usual again this season and came through the group stages with flying colours. They were unbeaten in their six matches, notching up three wins and three draws, finishing four points clear of Young Africans in second place. The Red Devils were then drawn against Simba in the last eight and took a one-goal lead in Dar es Salaam before finishing the job with a 2-0 win in Cairo in the second leg. The Egyptian Premier League outfit are the most successful club in this competition, having lifted the trophy a whopping 11 times, including last season when they beat Wydad AC 2-1. They are now vying for a fifth consecutive final and have won three of the last four they’ve played in. While the visitors are the underdogs heading into this match, it’s difficult to write them off based on their incredible history in this competition.