"It will be much better for us to play in Pretoria," Ahli assistant coach Hossam Al-Badri was quoted as saying by the club website on Saturday.

"The stadium which was due to host the game was very far from the South African capital. We would have endured an exhausting trip had the match wasn't switched."

Ahli will face Platinum Stars at Loftus stadium, which hosted their encounter against Sundowns in the Champions League last year.

Meanwhile, 16-year-old keeper Ahmed Abou-Bakr has been promoted to Ahli first team following Amir Abdul-Hamid's injury.

Abdul-Hamid remains a doubt for Thursday's Egyptian League clash against Ismaili after sustaining a hamstring injury in the 3-1 victory over Petrojet.

The shocking departure of first-choice goalie Essam Al-Hadari to Swiss side Sion without Ahli's consent left the Red Devils in keeper selection dilemma.

Current deputy guardian Ahmed Abdul-Moneim, 21, may make his first ever start for Ahli against Ismaili in case Abdul-Hamid fails to recover in time.