Etoile Sahel or title holders CS Sfaxien will create history Saturday by becoming the first club to win the African Confederation Cup twice after the all-Tunisia final. The odds have tilted slightly toward the Etoile 'Red Devils' after forcing a 0-0 first-leg draw two weeks ago, ending a run of 13 consecutive home wins by Sfaxien in the competition.
But French coach Herve Gauthier is taking nothing for granted just three matches after he was pitched into one of the hottest seats in African football following the sacking of Swiss Michel Decastel.
"Playing at home gives us an advantage but we face a formidable foe. The key to success is getting the right balance between defence and attack," he told reporters in the Mediterranean resort of Sousse. Sfaxien coach Ghazi Ghrairi remains upbeat as he tries to emulate Decastel, who led 'Juventus' to a 5-2 aggregate triumph over Al-Merreikh of Sudan in the previous final before switching to Etoile. "Nothing is lost and not conceding a goal at home was great. It is up to us to display our potential especially with Etoile obliged to attack before their supporters," he said.
Etoile will miss suspended playmaker Mohamed Ali Nafkha, whose late goal from the penalty spot earned the team a point at Asante Kotoko of Ghana that settled one of the two pre-final mini-leagues.
Sfaxien defenders Chaker Bergaoui and Aymen Ben Amor have served bans and are available for selection as the clubs chase a 330,000-dollar first prize and a crack at Egyptian giants Al-Ahly next year for the African Super Cup. Apart from a host of Tunisian internationals, many African nations have representatives in the squads, including west African powerhouses Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Ghana.
Diminutive Nigerian striker Emeka Opara is the leading Etoile scorer in the African Confederation Cup this year with three goals, including a brace in the 2-0 home victory over Kotoko. Ghanaian Sadat Bukari, Guinean Mohamed Sacko and Zambian Fwayo Tembo are other potential starters for Etoile, the only club to lift every African Football Confederation (CAF) club trophy.
Sfaxien also have a Ghanaian, Agyemang Opoku, and a Guinean, Naby Soumah, plus proven scorers at international level in Ivorian Blaise Kouassi and Basisila Lusadisu from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Another key player for the defending champions in the African equivalent of the European UEFA Cup is little midfielder Abdelkrim Nafti, whose mini-league goals were instrumental in Sfaxien reaching the decider.
However, tradition suggests Nafti and his team-mates will have to settle for the runners-up medals at the 25,000-seat Olympic Stadium in Sousse and the 220,000-dollar consolation prize. In four previous African clashes, Etoile have twice triumphed 2-1 and drawn the others 3-3 and 0-0, and the 'Red Devils'd have never lost at home in a CAF club final.
Comments
Comments are closed.