South Africans will have their allegiance divided when Percy Tau comes up against Fagrie Lakay in Egypt on Monday.
Tau turns out for Al Ahly, who face Lakay’s Pyramids in the final of the Egypt Cup on April 10 at Cairo International Stadium at 21h15.
Of course, the two players have had decent fortunes this season, with Tau clawing his way back into the Ahly starting lineup.
The former Cape Town City star, Lakay, has found the net four times and assisted twice in 19 outings. 10 of his appearances have been starts, coming from the bench nine times in 22 matches.
PERCY TAU FACES FAGRIE LAKAY
In the CAF Champions League is where Tau has flourished with five-goal contributions in six games.
He has scored twice and assisted thrice to help Ahly reach the competition’s knockout stage.
Lakay, whose Pyramids also qualified for the knockout stages of the CAF Confederation Cup, has scored once in seven games of the CAF club competition.
Pyramids recently advanced to the final of the Egypt Cup at the expense of Zamalek.
On the other hand, Al Ahly qualified for the final after defeating Alexandria-based Smouha.
Tau has made 10 appearances in the league, weighing in with two goals after struggles with injury earlier in the season.
Lakay’s Pyramids had requested the presence of international officials for the showdown against Al Ahly.
The request comes due to security concerns, as the number of fans allowed to attend the final was still being discussed with relevant parties.
EGYPT PREMIER LEAGUE STANDINGS
Ahly are top of the Egyptian Premier League with 47 points, halfway through the season. They have played the first round of matches [19] in the 20-team league.
Pyramids are third, seven points behind Ahly, after playing 22 games.
But on Monday, all focus will be on the Egypt Cup.
Ahly will be buoyed by their head-to-head record, which shows that in 14 meetings, they have emerged victorious seven times. Pyramids won three of the meetings, while four ended in stalemates.
Ahly coach Marcel Koller expressed his confidence in the players’ ability to beat Pyramids FC and win the Egypt Cup title.
“We prepared well for the final and are focused. I have a lot of confidence in my players ahead of this match.”