Coach to use inside take on Casablanca

The coach hoping to end the reign of Wydad Casablanca as African champions this Friday once managed the famed Moroccan club.

Rachid Taoussi now handles Entente Setif of Algeria, who take a 1-0 lead into the second leg of the Caf Champions League quarterfinal.

Among the many former clubs of the 59-year-old Moroccan was Wydad, whom he was in charge of for the 20022003 domestic season.

He failed to win any trophies with the Casablanca outfit, but later led another Moroccan team, MAS Fes, to the Caf Confederation Cup and Caf Super Cup titles.

Taoussi is upbeat about the match in Casablanca, where Wydad were crowned kings of Africa last year by shading Al Ahly of Egypt 1-0 after a drawn first leg of the final.

“I have told my players to forget about the first leg victory. It is going to be difficult in Casablanca, but we have the ability to succeed,” said Taoussi.

Setif made a disastrous start to the group stage, losing two matches in a row, but recovered to be unbeaten in five matches. AFP Sport previews the second legs in the elite African club competition with a $2.5m (about R36m) first prize and a place at the 2018 Fifa Club World Cup .

Five-time African champions TP Mazembe of the DRC are favourites in Lubumbashi after a 0-0 draw at first-time quarterfinalists Primeiro Agosto of Angola. The footwork of Congolese winger Meschak Elia caused the Angolans many problems last weekend and he will hope to create chances for Ben Malango, scorer of seven goals this season.

Zambia winger and exMazembe captain Rainford Kalaba is available after missing the match in Luanda as punishment for an undisclosed act of ill-discipline. Esperance cling to a 2-1 lead over Etoile Sahel going into the second leg of an all-Tunisia showdown between former African champions.

All the first leg goals had their origins in free-kicks and it will be no surprise if set-pieces also played a crucial role in Mediterranean resort Sousse.

Esperance are the only quarter-finalists boasting an unbeaten Champions League away record this season while Etoile have failed to win only once at home. Wydad knocked out then title-holders Mamelodi Sundowns in the quarterfinals last season, winning on penalties having lost 1-0 away in the first leg. Post-match spot-kicks might be needed to separate the Moroccans from Entente Setif in a clash between clubs who have both been crowned African champions twice. –