An Egyptian-Algerian summit in the launch of the African champions tomorrow

The 27th edition of the African Champions League football competition in its modern form and the 59th since its launch, on the impact of a strong Egyptian-Algerian summit between Zamalek and its guest, Shabab Belouizdad, Friday, in Cairo, in the absence of Wydad Casablanca, the Moroccan champion, and his runner-up, Al-Ahly, due to their participation in the Club World Cup in Morocco.

The youth of Belouizdad, the champion of Algeria in the last three seasons, and seeking a first continental title in its history, will be a heavy guest on Zamalek, the Egyptian league champion in the past two seasons, at Cairo International Stadium, as part of the fourth “iron” group competitions, which also includes Tunisian Esperance and Sudanese Mars.
The two teams are suffering this season in varying proportions, as Zamalek is going through a stage of imbalance, following modest results recently in the local league, as it achieved an orphan victory in its last seven matches, the last of which was a humiliating loss against Pharco by three clean goals last Monday in the seventeenth stage, which led to its decline in the ranking to fourth place.

The “White Castle” team is looking forward to its sixth continental title and the first since 2002, especially since the Champions League competition will turn into a priority for the team after the widening difference with its traditional opponent, Al-Ahly, the league leader, and thus diminishing its chances of retaining the title. The team of Portuguese coach Josevaldo Ferreira is suffering from the departure of many of its players from their true level, in addition to the departure of a number of other stars who led them to local titles in recent seasons, led by Moroccan Ashraf Bencharki and Tariq Hamed.

Belouizdad youth are looking forward to achieving a perfect start in the difficult group and returning to their bases with a positive result. His Tunisian coach, Nabil El Kouki, was keen to keep his players away from administrative matters, which led to the dismissal of club president Mohamed Ben Hajj for administrative reasons and for not fulfilling his promises to make huge transfer deals during the winter transfers.

In the same group, Esperance, aspiring to a fifth continental title in the Champions League, will host Al-Merikh Al-Sudanese on Saturday at the “Hammadi Al-Aqrabi” stadium in Rades. The “Bab Souika” team enters the meeting with high spirits after beating Bizertin 4-0 in the local league, and its group leads before the start of the decisive stage.

Al-Merreikh was involved in a preparatory camp in Cairo in preparation for the match, led by Brazilian coach Heron Ricardo. Doubts arise about the participation of several Mars players, including Brazilian Rafael Da Silva and playmaker Ahmed Hamed Elch. Moroccan Raja Casablanca is looking for the fourth continental title in the competition, and the first in nearly a quarter of a century, as it hopes for a strong opening to its career when it hosts the Ugandan Vipers, who are mentioned for the first time on Saturday at the “Mohammed V” stadium in Casablanca. The confrontation will be important in front of the “Green Eagle” in order to reconcile the fans after the fluctuating results in the local league, the last of which was the loss to Olympique de Safi 1-3, and then it narrowly defeated Ittihad Tanger, bottom club, 2-1.

The Tunisian coach of the Moroccan team, Mondher Al-Kabir, is aware of the importance of this match, which he will play in the absence of his fans for disciplinary reasons. A large number of Raja players have continental experience and expertise, especially goalkeeper Anas Al-Zeniti, Abdel-Ilah Madkour and Zakaria Hadraf. Houria Conakry of Guinea will also meet its guest Simba Tanzanian in the same group.

Algeria’s JS Kabylie is beginning its return to the biggest competition, which won its titles in 1981 and 1990, from the Angolan capital, Luanda, where it will face Petro Atletico on Sunday in the first group competitions that includes Wydad and the Democratic Congolese Vita Club, whose match was postponed to the third of next March.
In the second group, Mamelodi Sundowns, South Africa, begins its continental campaign by welcoming the Sudanese Crescent in Pretoria, while Al-Ahly’s confrontation with Cameroonian Coton Sport was postponed to the third of next month.