Saturday's CAF Champions League Group C clash at the Cairo International Stadium, Egypt, could see hosts Al Ahly and visiting Orlando Pirates field weaker sides because both clubs have also qualified for the quarter-finals.

The two coaches, Marcel Koller (Al Ahly) and José Riveiro (Pirates) are likely to be tempted to rotate their squads since both have achieved the objective of reaching the quarter-finals.

Al Ahly will have the added pressure of playing in front of their adoring fans in the 75,000-seater Cairo International Stadium.

The matter of group supremacy might be more important to nine-time champions Al Ahly because they are in an unfamiliar second place on the Group C standings. Saturday's match is their final chance to top the group.

The CAF records show that the eventual champions have not always been group winners.

Over the last seven editions of the CAF Champions League, only three champions finished first in their group. The remaining four winners finished in second place in their groups.

Pirates have fond memories of the last visit to Cairo nine years ago when they defeated Ahly 4-3 in the second leg of their CAF Confederation Cup semifinal to advance to the 2015 final 5-3 on aggregate.

Étoile du Sahel of Tunisia won the final after a 2–1 aggregate victory over Pirates.

Pirates, managed by Roger da Sa at the time, also defeated Al Ahly 3-0 away in the Champions League group competition in August 2013, which remains the heaviest home defeat that the Egyptian giants have suffered in continental club competition.

The match was played at the Khaled Bichara Stadium, in Hurghada, Egypt, behind closed doors.

Ahly got their revenge when the two clubs met again in the second leg of the final five months later, which Al Ahly won 2-0 to take the trophy 3-1 on aggregate.

Going into the match, Al Ahly are in fine form following their 2-0 victory over El Gouna in the Egyptian Premier League on Wednesday.

Their star player Emam Ashour scored both goals, showcasing his importance to the team.

The Red Devils are unbeaten in their last three matches across all competitions, scoring seven goals and conceding just two.

Under coach Marcel Koller, Al Ahly have been formidable at home, remaining undefeated across all competitions this season.

Of the matches they have played at home, Ahly has scored 23 goals and only conceded six times.

In the Champions League, they scored 10 goals and conceded only three goals in the matches against Stade d’Abidjan (4-2) and CR Belouizdad (6-1).