| Goals | Goals |
|---|---|
| 15. Mohamed Nagui (28’) |
Oboabona promises Ahly shock
Sunshine skipper Oboabona
The Nigerian club forced six-time champions Ahly to a 3-3 draw in Ijebu-Ode a fortnight ago and on Sunday they will again do battle with the Egyptian giants to decide who faces the winners of the other semi-final between defending champions Esperance and TP Mazembe of DR Congo.
The Super Eagles defender, who missed the first leg due to an accumulation of bookings, told MTNFootball.com that his ambitious team have not lost hope.
"I am very happy to be back with my team after missing the first leg. It is amazing and great to be back here. I believe we can win in Cairo," Oboabona declared.
“And so Nigerians should expect a good result from us in Egypt. They should support and pray for us."
Sunday clash will be played at the Military Stadium in Cairo behind closed doors after recent crowd trouble in Egypt.
However, the Akure club face a goalkeeping crisis leading up to this clash as first-choice Moses Ocheje is unfit after illness and he will be replaced by the only goalkeeper available for selection, Henry Ayodele.
The former Gateway FC shot stopper was also in goal when Sunshine crashed 4-1 to Recreativo de Libolo of Angola in a qualifying round of this competition.
What is also clear is that Sunshine will be better prepared for this match than they were two weeks ago as the players embarked on a pay strike for 10 days before the first semi-final and so only trained for a handful of days to that clash.
Another comfort for the Nigerian club is the form of striker Dele Olorundare, who has scored four goals in the competition including one of the goals against Ahly at home.
Coach Gbenga Ogunbote replaced international striker Izu Azuka with Olorundare in Ijebu-Ode and the hustling front man responded with a 40th minute goal.
It was a substitution that initially drew the ire of the fans.
“Azuka was far below his potentials and I needed to react fast,” defended the coach.
Olorundare told MTNFootball.com they will be gunning for a win in Cairo.
"We are all optimistic and positive about the match. We have been training very hard for the game and we believe God will crown our efforts with victory,” said Olorundare, who has scored four goals in the competition.
The Akure club have enjoyed a good record on their travels to North Africa this year, losing once in the three matches there - they beat ASO Chlef 2-1 in Algeria, drew 0-0 with Etoile du Sahel in Tunisia with their only loss being to Esperance in Tunis courtesy of an own goal by Jude Ebitogwa.
Egypt international striker Emad Meteb returns for Ahly after an operation to remove kidney stones, while the legendary Mohamed Aboutrika will again be missing as he remains suspended for staying away from a Super Cup game.
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