Esperance take on Wydad in African Champs League final
- Published
Tunisia's Esperance know the pain of defeat in the African Champions League final but must overcome Wydad Casablanca of Morocco to claim the crown
Esperance of Tunisia host Morocco's Wydad Casablanca in the second leg of the final of the African Champions League on Saturday.
As well as being crowned champions of Africa, the winners will qualify for the Club World Cup in Japan, external and take home $1.5 million in prize money.
This will be the fourth match the two sides have played in this campaign.
Their three previous games have all ended in draws but this time there will have to be a winner.
Esperance were beaten finalists in 2010, external and are determined to go one better this time.
"[We have] one year more experience, and our opponent is different. We have played three times against this team so we know their strengths and weaknesses," Esperance vice-president Fathi Farah told the BBC.
But the Tunisians are very well aware that, with a goalless draw in the first leg, Wydad Casablanca would benefit hugely from an away goal.
"Our draw (in Morocco in the first leg) is quite dangerous because if Casablanca score and it finishes 1-1 then they will win [on away goals] so we have to be very cautious even as we try to score," Farah said.
Wary Esperance plot Champs League success, says Farah.
Wydad have been hit by injury problems in the build-up to Saturday's match, with their goalkeeper and captain Nadir Lemyaggri having dislocated a shoulder during training.
His place in the side will be taken by 20-year-old Yassine Bounou, who is also Morocco's Olympic goalkeeper.
And Wydad coach Michel Decastel is confident that his side can overturn the odds and get a win in the Rades Stadium near Tunis on Saturday.
"An injury to our brilliant striker Mouhssine Iajour during the first leg left us with only one outright attacker for much of the game," the coach said.
"The return match will be different and we have every chance of success."
Wydad were originally knocked out of the Champions League but were re-instated after the expulsion of last year's TP Mazembe of DR Congo, external.
They then won a play-off match against Simba of Tanzania and have since progressed in fine style all the way to the final.