An interesting game is on the cards as Palmeiras take on Al-Ahly at the Education City stadium on Thursday.
The Brazilian outfit missed out on a prestigious spot in the finals after a narrow 1-0 loss to Mexican outfit Tigres. Al-Ahly perhaps had a tougher mountain to climb and it’s no surprise they lost 2-0 to reigning European champions Bayern Munich.
A more open encounter is expected when Palmeiras take on the African champions. Manager Abel Ferreira has promised to ring changes to his side after a lack of creativity upfront was evident in their defeat to Tigres.
Al-Ahly finished third in the Club World Cup back in 2006 and they’ll be aiming to replicate that feat once more.
They are also the side with the second most appearances in the competition and they’ll be motivated to get a result against Palmeiras.
Manager Pitso Mosimane has already confirmed that a win alone is all on their priority list.
A big letdown for Al-Ahly is that they’ll be missing two of their key players who have been banned for the third-place tie after they breached coronavirus protocols.
“Ahly’s delegation received an official letter from FIFA stating that Shahaat and Kahraba are not allowed to participate in our next game against Brazil’s Palmeiras”
“FIFA’s decision is due to the fact that both players didn’t follow the precautionary measures after our last game against FC Bayern Munich” a statement said on the Al-Ahly website.
Asides a third-place finish up for grabs, both sides will be eager to claim the $2.5 million dollars price for the winner (about R $ 13.4 million). The fourth position (loser) will receive 2 million dollars (about R $ 10.7 million).
