Poured into group C, USMA, winner of the event in 2023 and semi-finalist last year,
will receive the Botswanan team of Orapa Unitedat the Olympic stadium on July 5 (8:00 p.m.) to collect his first three points, which will allow him to continue the course with complete peace of mind.
The “Red and Black” will not have any difficulty in overcoming Orapa United, author of up-and-down results since the start of the season, even if the surprise factor cannot be ruled out.
In terms of staff, the flagship club of Soustara will be priveted on the services of Congolese defender, Kévin Mondekoconvalescent, while the left side, Lyes Chetti, and midfielder, Oussama Chita, are uncertain.
USMA, qualified at the expense of Tunisians Stade Tunisien (first leg: 0-1, return: 2-0), saw its series of invincibility in the championship end last Thursday in Constantine, against CSC (1- 0), on the occasion of the 10th day.
“We have closed the page of the championship and we are concentrating on the continental event. We must be ready in all respects to start the group stage well, and collect the maximum points in the first three matches”, said USMA assistant coach Tunisian Nader Daoud.
For its part, Orapa United, 7th place in the standings with 9 points, far behind the leader Center Chiefs (16 pts) after six contested days, has so far achieved a barely average record in the championship with two victories, three draws, and a defeat.
Orapa United qualified for the group stage, eliminating the Zimbabweans Dynamos in the 2nd preliminary round, on penalties (first leg: 0-1, return: 1-0, tab: 3-1).
This meeting will be led by a Gambian refereeing trio, led by Lamin N Jammeh, assisted by his two compatriots Mustapha Bojang (1st assistant) and Abass Bah (2nd assistant). The fourth Official is Omar Sallah (Gambia).
The Constantines conquer Radès
For his part, the CSCfor which it is the third participation in this competition, inherited group A. The teammates of captain Brahim Dib will be there with a
Maghreb derby against CS Sfaxienin a tantalizing duel scheduled at the Hamadi-Agrebi stadium in Radès (5:00 p.m.).
“On a mental level, we are in the best condition, after our great victory recently won against USM Alger (1-0). We do not regret any injuries, after recovering Rebiaï, Bouguerra, and Tahar. We do not “didn't have enough time to prepare for this match, we relied on recovery”, underlined the CSC coach, Kheïreddine Madoui.
And to continue: “This is a derby against a tough team, even if they do not often participate in African competitions in recent seasons. We will approach this meeting with the objective of coming back with a good result and starting this phase of chickens in force.”
The leader of the Algerian Ligue 1 championship Mobilis will have to do without services of no less of four players : the international doorman, Zakaria Bouhalfaya, Abdennour Belhocini, Mohamed Amine Benmessabih, and Mounder Temine.
The CSC achieved a flawless performance during the first two preliminary rounds of the continental competition, winning the four matches, including the last two against the Ghanaians of Nsoatreman (first leg: 2-0, return: 1-0).
This derby will be led by the Egyptian Mahmoud Elbena, assisted by his compatriots, Sami Mohamed Abouzid Halhal (1st assistant) and Youcef Wahid Youcef Elbosaty (2nd assistant).
Finally, this is the second time in the history of this competition that Algeria is represented by two clubs in the group stage, after the 2020-2021 edition, in the presence of ES Sétif and JS Kabylie.
Program for the first day of the group stage
Group A:
Simba SC (Tanzania) – Bravos do Maquis (Angola) 2:00 p.m.
CS Sfaxien (Tunisia) – CS Constantine (Algeria) 5:00 p.m.
Group B:
Stade Malien (Mali) – Stellenbosch (South Africa) 5:00 p.m.
RS Berkane (Morocco) – CD Lunda Sul (Angola) 8:00 p.m.
Group C:
ASEC Mimosas (Ivory Coast) – Jaraaf (Senegal) 17h0
USM Algiers – Orapa United 20h0
Group D:
Al-Masry (Egypt) – Enyimba (Nigeria) 5:00 p.m.
Zamalek SC (Egypt) – Black Bulls (Mozambique) 8:00 p.m.
DZfoot with APS
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