Pachuca v Al Ahly
Saturday, 14 December
Stadium 974 | Doha, Qatar
FIFA Challenger Cup

Kick-off times
۱۱:۰۰ (Hidalgo)
۱۸:۰۰ (Madrid)
۱۹:۰۰ (Cairo)
۲۰:۰۰ (Doha)

The match
A tantalising prospect lies in store as Concacaf kings Pachuca lock horns with Egyptian champions and reigning CAF Champions League winners Al Ahly in Doha. The Mexicans will head into the game buoyant after their comprehensive 3-0 victory over Botafogo in the FIFA Derby of the Americas on Wednesday. They can expect to face stern examination against a high-quality Al Ahly team, who qualified for the Challenger Cup with a 3-0 success against UAE side Al Ain in October.

What awaits the winners?
The victors will face European champions Real Madrid in the FIFA Intercontinental Cup 2024™ final at Lusail Stadium on Wednesday, 18 December.

Team news
Pachuca could be without defender Sergio Barreto, who was forced off injured during their win over Botafogo. Gustavo Cabral could replace the 25-year-old in the starting XI.

Al Ahly will be unable to call upon goalkeeper Oufa Shobeir, defender Mohamed Hany and winger Karim Fouad. The injured trio have not been named in their Intercontinental Cup squad.

Predicted line-ups
Pachuca: Carlos Moreno, Gustavo Cabral, Bryan Gonzalez, Luis Rodriguez, Andres Micolta, Pedro Pedraza, Arturo Gonzalez, Alan Bautista, Elias Montiel, Oussama Idrissi, Salomon Rondon.

Al Ahly: Mohamed Elshenawy, Akram Tawfik, Ramy Rabia, Yasser Ibrahim, Yahya Attiat-Allah, Marawan Attia, Emam Ashour, Ahmed Koka, Hussein Elshahat, Wessam Abou Ali, Taher Mohamed.

Players to watch
Pedro Pedraza
An intelligent and accurate passer, Pachuca midfielder Pedraza’s impressive defensive awareness helps to snuff out opposition attacks.

Oussama Idrissi
The livewire winger was in scintillating form in Pachuca’s win over Botafogo, scoring a superb solo goal before providing an assist for powerhouse striker Salomon Rondon.

Mohamed Elshenawy
As well as being an outstanding goalkeeper, the Al Ahly captain is also an inspiring leader. The 35-year-old is a towering figure of experience and composure as the last line of defence.

Wessam Abou Ali
The Palestine international striker has hardly stopped scoring since joining Al Ahly from January 2024. Fast, strong and lethal in front of goal, Abou Ali also possesses an excellent work ethic.

Stats

This is the second time that these two teams have met in a FIFA club competition. Their previous encounter was a quarter-final tie in the FIFA Club World Cup Japan 2008™, when Pachuca won 4-2 after extra time.

This is Pachuca’s fifth appearance in a FIFA competition, following their participations in the 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2017 editions of the Club World Cup – their best performance in that competition was third place in 2017.

Al Ahly have played 27 matches in FIFA club competitions – more than any other team.

Al Ahly won the CAF Champions League for a record 12th time in 2023/24, defeating Esperance Sportive de Tunis in the final.

Quotes
“Our ambition is to compete in every game. We showed [against Botafogo] that we have character, that we have quality in our team. We came here with dreams like everyone else.”
Oussama Idrissi, Pachuca winger

“They [Al Ahly] are also a strong team – they’ve been the Egyptian champions many times. We will work to be able to face them in the best manner possible and beat them.”
Nelson Deossa, Pachuca midfielder

“There is a desire to reach the furthest point in the tournament by winning the Challenge Cup title, adding a new championship that the club has never won before, and qualifying for the final. We want to prove ourselves to the whole world.”
Ramy Rabia, Al Ahly defender

“Pachuca is a strong team, having eliminated the South American champion. We watched their match against Botafogo, where they delivered a high-level performance and scored three goals in just 30 minutes.”
Hussein Elshahat, Al Ahly midfielder