CAF semifinals surprise pairing

Al Ahly and Esperance take on unfamiliar foes

Cairo – Al Ahly of Egypt hope to get in front, while Esperance of Tunisia do not want to fall behind when they face contrasting CAF Champions League semifinals first-leg challenges today.

Record eight-time trophyholders Ahly host Entente Setif of Algeria, who surprisingly eliminated defending champions Wydad Casablanca of Morocco in the quarterfinals. Esperance, on the other hand, are away to Primeiro Agosto of Angola, the shock last-eight conquerors of fivetime African champions TP Mazembe from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Setif and Esperance have won the elite CAF competition twice each, leaving Primeiro as the only survivors not to lift the trophy that symbolises African club supremacy.

No Angolan club has reached the Champions League final and Primeiro are just the second side after Petro Atletico in 2001 to make the penultimate stage.

But Serbian coach Zoran Manojlovic believes the Luanda outfit can go all the way to the title decider, saying: “We will reach the final of the Champions League. My players are very humble and very hard workers and we know more or less the strengths and weaknesses of Esperance.”

Pundits are predicting an Ahly-Esperance final, but Setif and Primeiro must have developed a lot of confidence from their quarterfinals wins.

This is a pairing no one outside of Angola would have predicted with Primeiro consistently poor performers in recent campaigns.

And while Esperance have had much better results, many believe five CAF titles is not a great return given the number of local and international stars who have played for them.

That Primeiro are in the semifinals after notching only 13 goals in 12 matches is remarkable with leading scorer Jacques Bitumba managing a meagre tally of four.

He, Lompala Bokamba and centre-back Muselenge Ungenda hail from DR Congo and striker Ibukun Akinfenwa and defender Kehinde Anifowoshe are Nigerians. – AFP

This is a pairing no one would have predicted with Primeiro mostly performing poor in recent campaigns