We run the rule over the four Caf Champions League semi-finalists – Petro Atletico (Angola), Wydad AC (Morocco), Al Ahly (Egypt), and ES Sétifienne (Algeria).
PETRO v ATLETICO
Petro Atletico is set to lock horns with Wydad AC at the Estadio on 11 November in the capital of Luanda in a first-leg tie on Saturday. Kick-off is at 13:00. The hosts have reached the semi-finals for the second time; the initial appearance for the Angolans was in 2001.
Interestingly, both sides were placed in group D, and when they first clashed in Luanda, Petro emerged 2-1 victors. But Wydad AC turned things around in the reverse fixture, trashing Petro Atletico 5-0 in Morocco. Petro finished second in the group with 11 points, while Wydad topped the group with 15 points.
The Casablanca outfit is one of the favourites to win the competition this season and is expected to make light work of Petro. They have won the tournament twice after appearing on 13 occasions.
Of course, Petro will draw courage from their 3-2 aggregate win over South African champions Mamelodi Sundowns in the quarterfinals. The two opponents have clashed five times in African cup competitions, and the North African heavyweights won three of those meetings while the Angolans won one with the other ending in a draw.
Both sides come into this game with an excellent form, unbeaten in five matches in all competitions, only drawing once.
Team news
Petro will have to do without the services of defender Diogenes Joao due to a sprained left ankle. Petro coach Alexandre Santos confirmed the setback. “The situation with Diogenes looks severe, and there is no chance that he will make it for the clash. The team doctors are assessing the situation, and he is receiving treatment,” Santos explained.
Joaquim Kinito also adds to the list of absentees after being suspended in the previous match. Wydad CB suffered a huge blow losing their goal-scoring forward Muaidi Ellafi to injury while playing against AS FAR. The Libyan International sustained a tear in the external ligament of the knee.
Predicted line-up: Petro (4-4-2) – Wellington, To Carneiro, Job, Pedro Pinto, Eddie Affonso, Anderson Cruz, Pedro Pessoa, Soares, Gleison, Yano, Tiago Azula
Wydad CB (4-2-3-1) – Ahmed Tagnaouti, Ayoub El Amloud, Yahia Attiyat Allah, Anas Serrhat, Amine Farhan, Ayman Hassouni, Jalal Daoudi, Achraf Dari, Yahya Jabrane, Zouhair El-Moutaraji, Guy Mbenza.
AHLY v ES SETIF
The second semi-final is a North African affair. Pitso Mosimane’s Al Ahly hosts Algeria’s ES Sétif at the Al Salam Stadium in Egypt’s capital of Cairo at 21h00. Ahly have won the continental tournament twice successively and looks set to retain it for the third year running.
Forget that they struggled in the group stages after being beaten by Mamelodi Sundowns both home and away; they proved against Raja Casablanca in the quarterfinals that they know how to grind a result in this competition.
The visitors will come as the underdogs, but they will pose a massive threat to their more accomplished opposition. ES Sétif secured their last four spot after earning a big win against ES Tunis away from home in Tunisia.
Surprisingly, when it comes to head-to-head record, ES Sétif have enjoyed more glory in this fixture. The sides have met three times before and the Algerians won twice including the memorable win on penalties in the Caf Super Cup in 2015. Al Ahly have had an inconsistent form in the Caf Champions League this season. Two wins, two losses and a single draw. ES Setif have also maintained the same form in the tournament.
Team news
The hosts will miss the services of Akram Tawfik and Badr Benoun due to injury. Other absentees include Amar Hamdy, who was left out of the squad for unknown reasons. Mosimane refused to disclose the reasons for his exclusion. “Akram Tawfik and Badr Benoun have sustained serious injuries and will miss the game. I hope they return for the second leg; as for Hamdy is situation is complicated, and it is an internal matter that the club is dealing with,” the former Downs coach said. For ES Sétif, they only have one player who will be absent. Defence stalwart Hocine Laribi sustained a leg injury and will therefore miss the tie.
Predicted line-up Al Ahly SC (4-3-3) – Mohammed El Shanawy, Al Maaloul, Yasser Ibrahim, Mohamed Abdelmonem, Karim Fouad, Amr El Solia, Hamdi Fathi, Aliou Dieng, Ahmed Abdelkader, Mohamed Sherif, Percy Tau.
ES Setif (4-3-3) – Sofiane Khediera, Karim Nemdil, Hicham Belakroui, Amine Biaz, Houri Ferhrani, Younes Oussa, Youcef Dali, Zoubir Motrani, Youcef Fellahi, Khalil Darfalou, Riyad Benayad.
By Sibusiso Mpalala
