South African club Orlando Pirates is expected to play host to Egyptian giants Al Ahly for a CAF Confederation Cup semi-final that will be the first of two legs on Saturday.

The much anticipated game will take place at the Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg.

The Buccaneers qualified for the semi-finals after finishing second in Group B, while Ahly was able to come top of Group A, so the Egyptians will prepare for the encounter with a psychological edge, and history on their side.

The Soweto giants go into this game with revenge on their mind. The disappointment of losing to Ahly in the final of the CAF Champions League in 2013 is still fresh in the memories of many Bucs players, not to mention the fans, and an opportunity to balance the books with a victory over the Cairo club is a tantalising possibility.

Ahly are also determined to give their fans something to smile about, following their 2-0 loss to Zamalek last Monday, handing the Egypt Cup to their bitter rivals. The Pirates game and the second-tier continental club championship in general now has added significance for Fathi Mabrouk's team.

Both sides should be commended for reaching the semi-final stage, but neither team is prepared to end their run at this junction, with a final place up for grabs for the team that deserves it most over two legs

Injuries and suspensions will affect the South Africans, with the goalkeeper position particularly badly hit by injury woes. Pirates only have one registered goalkeeper fit to play against Ahly, as Equatoguinean Felipe Ovono steps up to the plate to replace Brighton Mhlongo, whose knee problem has kept him from a return to the pitch.

New Pirates goalkeeper coach Rowen Fernandez commented on the situation. "Obviously Brighton (Mhlongo) is still injured so Ovono is our only keeper for the CAF competition. You want to get some rhythm going, for a goalkeeper it is important to play, so the more that Ovono plays the more consistent he'll get."

Ovono has been rested due to his own injury concerns, but he has been required in recent games and has featured in order to prepare for this semi-final clash.

"The league is as important as CAF (competitions) so we've got to find a happy medium. It is a bit risky, but we are at the stage of the tournament now - the semi-finals against the African giants. We are holding thumbs that nothing goes wrong with Ovono in the Polokwane game," Fernandez said referring their league game against Polokwane City which ended barren last Tuesday.