CAF Champions League Final preview: USM Alger vs TP Mazembe
USM Alger chase a first ever African Champions League title and a chance to confirm Algeria’s rise to the top of the continent’s game when they host TP Mazembe in the first leg of the Final on Saturday.
USMA will seek to emulate the achievement of compatriots Entente Setif last year in winning Africa’s top club prize at a time when Algeria are the continent’s top ranked country, reached the second round of the World Cup in Brazil last year and are producing a massive renaissance after years in the doldrums.
But USMA are up against an experienced foe in the club from the south of the Democratic Republic of Congo, who have won four previous titles and in the last six editions of the Champions League have got to the Final on four occasions, winning twice.
The financial muscle of the copper-rich Katanga province, whose governor Moise Katumbi is also the club president, has seen Mazembe assemble a multi-national squad of players from various other African countries, coached to the Final this year by Patrice Carteron, the former St Etienne and Sunderland defender.
Mazembe won their Champions League group with a single defeat in six games although not as impressively as USMA, who were victorious in their first five games to secure a semifinal berth long before they lost their last group match.
Both Mazembe and USMA overcame opposition from Sudan in the semifinals, as expected, to set up the two-legged Final, with the first leg on Saturday at the Omar Hamadi Stadium in Algiers followed by the return in Lubumbashi on Sunday, November 8.
“We have prepared for this rendezvous. Certainly our opponents are favourites to clinch the title because of their rich experience at this level of the competition, but my players hold no fears and will look to take their chances,” said USMA coach Hamdi Miloud in the Algerian media this week. “But even with a decent lead in the first leg, it will not be easy in Lubumbashi.”
Mazembe have spent the last week in Marrakesh, Morocco preparing for the game.
The winner represents Africa in December’s Club World Cup in Japan.
USM Alger a hurdle for TP Mazembe in CAF Champions League final
Tournament fever is gripping the continent with two big events reaching their climax. This weekend, the CAF Champions League final first leg will be played, with TP Mazembe and USM Alger keen to take the honours. In Chile, the Under-17 World Cup has reached quarterfinal stage and Africa occupies two of the eight spots. The youngsters of Mali and Nigeria could make the continent very proud. Lastly, the final participant for the African Nations' Championship (CHAN), which kicks off in Rwanda in January, will be decided.
CAF Champions League final
For the second year running, clubs from Algeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo will contest the CAF Champions League final and curiously, neither country is fielding the same team as they did in 2014. Last year, ES Setif and AS Vita made it to the final; this year, USM Alger and TP Mazembe will tussle over the title, which Mazembe are hot favourites to win.
The Congolese club is packed with superstars including Zambian midfielder Rainford Kalaba and Tanzanian striker Mbwana Samatta, who is joint-second leading scorer for the tournament. Samatta has scored six times so far and needs just two more goals to take the golden boot. By comparison, USM's best performer, Youcef Belaili, is two goals behind and will not get the chance to catch up. Belaili was banned for two years after failing a post-match drug test during the group stage. Just on those two players, the distinction between the two teams can be drawn.
USM do not have big names but showed character in reaching this final without any star performers. They will certainly be depending on home ground advantage to take an early lead. On the way to the final, they won six consecutive qualifying and group games at home and scored 14 goals before a goalless draw in the semifinal second leg. The Algerians can't afford that kind of lethargy against TP Mazembe, who have lifted the Champions League cup four times before and are gunning to join Zamalek with five trophies as the second-most successful club on the continent.
CAF Champions League
| DrawAFRICA: CAF Champions League - Play Offs | ||||||||
| 31.10. 16:30 | USM Alger | - | Mazembe | |||||
| DrawAFRICA: CAF Champions League - Play Offs | |||||
| Semi-finals | |||||
| 04.10. 10:30 | Mazembe | Al-Merreikh | 3 : 0 | ||
| 03.10. 17:30 | USM Alger | Al-Hilal Omdurman | 0 : 0 | ||
| 27.09. 14:00 | Al-Hilal Omdurman | USM Alger | 1 : 2 | ||
| 26.09. 15:00 | Al-Merreikh | Mazembe | 2 : 1 | ||
| Show more matches |
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