The draw for the semi-finals of the Champions League will pit Esperance of Tunisia against Al Ahly of Egypt and Wydad Casablanca of Morocco against Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa.
The first leg is scheduled for Friday in Radès, behind closed doors due to recent crowd disturbances, and Saturday in Casablanca and the return leg next weekend in Cairo and Pretoria. Sundowns were the last Sub-Saharan club to lift the trophy, in 2016, and Wydad, Esperance and 10-time record holder Ahly have won the African Premier Club Championship twice since.
If Wydad and Ahly continue, there will be a back-to-back match between the same clubs for the first time since Ahly met Ghana's Asante Kotoko in 1982 and again a season later. The AFP sports watch and four stars can play an important role in determining the teams that qualify for the second final in June, as well as the ranking of the top nations.
SAMBO POWER
Wydad's Bouly Sambou is favorite to win the Champions League Golden Boot after scoring seven goals in his first campaign in Africa with the Moroccan giants. He plays a leading role with Fiston Mayele of Tanzania's African youth team, who were eliminated, while Sambou can play two more games, maybe four.
Sambou is typical of many West African forwards - tall, physical, strong in the air and able to hold the ball under pressure until support arrives. ZWANE nature
Captain Themba Zwane may have scored just two of Sundowns' 35 goals in 10 appearances heading into the semi-finals, but his creativity is a huge asset.
A master at getting things done when he is surrounded by so many fans, his soft touch often touches large gaps where there seems to be none. He was the only player ready to start against Wydad who appeared in the second round of the 2016 competition, in which Sundowns beat Zamalek 1-0 in Egypt but finished 3-1 on aggregate.
HAMMOUDA CLINIC
Esperance reached the final despite scoring just 10 goals in 10 appearances - the worst record of the four title contenders. Four of those goals came from Mohamed Ali Ben Hammouda, the 24-year-old who often works as the only striker in coach Nabil Maaloul's 5-4-1 formation.
He scored both goals in the 15th minute in their win over Algeria's JS Kabylie, while Tunisia's second-placed Tunisian was expert as he played the ball into the tightest of spaces. SUFFERING TAU
Percy Tau is expected to leave Ahly after fellow South African Pitso Mosimane resigned as coach after losing the 2022 Champions League to Wydad.
But the winger stayed on, silenced the doubters and produced a series of impressive displays on the right side of midfield as Ahly recovered from a poor start to advance to the final. His two Champions League goals included a special one against Sundowns earlier in Pretoria as he raced towards goal before firing an unstoppable shot from close range.
The last four repetitions
Espérance and Ahly have met three times in the final round of the Champions League, with the Cairo team winning both rounds. Away goals brought Ahly success in 2001 and Esperance in 2010 before the one-sided game two years ago as the Egyptians won both legs to progress 4-0 on aggregate.
Wydad and Sundowns have met 10 times but only once in the semi-finals, with Wydad winning at home and away to reach the important stage in 2019.
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