On December 15, 2023, Percy Tau of Al Ahly played in the FIFA Club World Cup Saudi Arabia 2023 second round match between Al Ahly FC and Al-Ittihad at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The South African international had not featured for the African champions since their 1-0 win over Simba SC in the first leg of their CAF Champions League semi-final.
Former Egypt international Mohamed Salah, who played for El Koroum SC, mentioned that Tau and a few other players must return for the upcoming clash against TP Mazembe. He expressed his confidence in Al Ahly’s victory over Mazembe, emphasizing the advantage of big teams to focus on upcoming matches and close the file of previous matches.
Salah also commented on the coach, Koller, suggesting that he should not be stubborn in the formation and make adjustments for the future. He expressed his belief that Koller cannot use the same formation against Mazembe as he did in the Zamalek match.