Al Ahly vs Esperance prediction 25.05.2024

• Competition: CAF Champions League, Final, 2nd Leg
• Date: Saturday, 25th May, 2024
• Kickoff: 18:00 UTC +1 / 19:00 CEST
• Venue: Cairo International Stadium (Cairo)

After a goalless draw in the first leg of the CAF Champions League Final in Tunisia, Al Ahly will welcome Esperance in the second leg at Cairo International Stadium in Cairo.

Al Ahly are the most successful team in the CAF Champions League, with 11 titles in their history. Last year, they managed to win a quadruple, winning the Super Cup, domestic League, domestic Cup, and CAF Champions League as well. This year, they are on a good track to repeat that success as they have already secured the Super Cup and the domestic Cup titles. In the league, they are 7th but have played six to eight games fewer than the rest of the teams. 

Last year, Esperance finished 2nd in the domestic league and were stopped by Al Ahly in the CAF Champions League Semi-Finals. This year, they are having a much better season as they are holding the top spot in the domestic league with a five-point advantage, and there are only three rounds to go. Their only bad performance was in the domestic Cup when they lost to the second-tier team (OC Kerkennah) in a strange match when Esperance received two straight red cards and lost in the 1/16 Finals. However, if they manage to win the CAF CL and the domestic league, this season will definitely be a massive success. 

Esperance vs Al Ahly pick: Under 2.5 goals

As we stated, the first leg ended in a goalless draw. In that match, we saw only one shot at the goal, and neither team had a real opportunity to score. While Esperance had some chances from set-pieces, Al Ahly weren't even close to scoring. Looking at the xG stats, we can see that these teams combined for only 1.04 goals. In the second leg, the home team is undoubtedly a favorite, but we expect another defensively-oriented game because the stakes are high, and neither team will be willing to take big risks.

Even though Al Ahly played many high-scoring games this season, that was mainly in the domestic competitions. In the CAF CL, they were under 2.5 goals in nine of 11 games 82%. Meanwhile, Esperance mostly played low-scoring games in all competitions, and in the CAF CL, they were under 2.5 goals in ten of 11 games - 91%. 

Considering all the above, an under 2.5 goals bet should be the safest option for the CAF Champions League Finals.