The Raja of Casablanca returned to the premier African interclub competition this season, after a year of absence, but the start did not live up to the expectations of the club’s supporters, who saw their team lose against the other representative from Morocco to Champions League : l’AS FAR. This setback had the effect of complicating RCA’s mission in the group stage, especially as the club is preparing to undertake a long trip to sub-Saharan Africa, where it will have to negotiate two difficult matches in the Democratic Republic of Congo and then in South Africa. Adam Naffati’s teammates will fly this Wednesday to Kinshasa, where they will respond to theAS Maniema UnionSaturday from 2 p.m.
Unlock the points counter in group B
To strengthen its chances of qualifying for the next round, the RCA will have to bring back at least 4 points from this African journey, i.e. a victory and a draw. The club recorded its very first victory under the orders of Ricardo Sa Pinto last weekend, facing the Hassania of Agadir (3-1), after five consecutive draws. The attack line has finally regained color after a long slump (2 goals in 7 matches). These next 12 days therefore promise to be crucial for Raja, who could restart their season or compromise their qualification for the quarter-finals of the Champions League. The results of the next two matches will also decide the future of Portuguese technician Sa Pinto with the Greens. Absent from the previous version of the CAF Champions Leaguethe Raja of Casablanca had overtaken the Nigerian National Guard Sports Association in the first preliminary round. The Eagles then took over the Ghanaian team of Samartex FC during the 2nd preliminary round.
As a reminder, Raja had won the Champions League three times: the 1989, 1997 and 1999 editions. Absent from the 2024 edition, the club had been eliminated twice by Al Ahly, in the quarter-finals of the 2023 and 2022. The best performance of the Moroccan champion in the Champions League, for the last decade, took place in 2020, when the club reached the semi-final before losing to Zamalek. The club should benefit from the services of all of its players during this trip, with the return from injury of Mohamed Zrida and the Mauritanian Mouhcine Bodda.
