Al Ahly coach Marcel Koller says the weather conditions had a big impact on the players performed against TP Mazembe on Saturday.
The semi-final tie between Al Ahly and Mazembe remains evenly poised after playing to a goalless draw in Lubumbashi.
Both sides did have their opportunities in the 90 minutes, but they ultimately had to settle for the stalemate.
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"The hot weather had an impact on our players. It was a tough game," Koller said at the press conference, as per Ahram Online.
"We need to give our players a break and allow them to recover from the physical demands of the previous match in order to score and secure our spot in the final."
Al Ahly's director of football Khaled Bebo is confident the team can get the desired result in Cairo next weekend.
“I trust the experiences and capabilities of Al-Ahly players in dealing with the return match," Bebo told the club's official website.
"We talk to the players continuously and everyone is now focused and working on the heart of one man in order to reach the CAF Champions League final.
“The team will fly to Cairo directly, and after rest, the staff and players will quickly begin preparing for the return match, which we hope will witness a large audience presence that will make the difference, as is the custom of Al-Ahly fans."
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