Club Africain come into this game after a hard-fought derby match against fellow African side Al-Ahly Sports Club in their first placement game. After taking the lead early before their Egyptian opponent closed the score line, Club Africain played one-for-one until the last five minutes, when Al-Ahly suddenly pulled away. 

Amine Bannour was the reason they kept in touch through to the last minutes, contributing 10 goals that made him by far the team’s top scorer. The second-ranked on the tally was Makrem Slama, who netted three, with no other player scoring more than one. Mohamed Soussi, who was their highest scorer against Füchse Berlin with six goals, had an off day and could not find the back of the net even once. If he is back on his game, it will go a long way in helping the Tunisian side perform against Al-Sadd. 

The host team are likely a bit disappointed to find themselves in this game, after two consecutive losses – first against Sydney University Handball Club in their opening game, then versus Al-Ahly in the first placement round match. They will certainly be looking to record one win on home soil, but physical Club Africain will be a challenge. 

Al-Sadd’s key players against Al-Ahly were Ahmed Abdelhak, who scored 11 goals, and Selvedin Omahic, with a tally of five. 

Al-Ahly Sports Club played a strong first placement round game against Club Africain to come out three goals on top after a physical 60 minutes. They showed they can play until the last whistle, pushing through the one-for-one game to pull ahead when it counted and making their way to the 5/6 placement match, where they will come up against the Pan American representative. 

Al-Ahly’s key players in the game against their Tunisian rivals were goalkeeper Mohamed Aly, who made saves in the crucial moments and finished with a 36% save rate, top scorer Mamdouh Abouebaid (four goals) and Omar Elwakil, who was responsible for a number of equalising goals. 

Esporte Clube Taubate come into this game after a comfortable win against Al-Sadd on Tuesday the 8th, with an effective active defensive system and fast counter attacks that promise an exciting meeting against Al-Ahly. Their team shared the responsibility, with both goalkeepers – Maik Santos and Luiz Nascimento – playing a half, rotation through most of the bench and goals coming in from all over the court. Vinicius Texeira was their top scorer with six goals.