Rulani’s MC Alger hit by injury crisis ahead of Sundowns clash

Rulani Mokwena’s MC Alger are reeling from an early CAF Champions League defeat and fresh injury concerns as they prepare to host South African powerhouse Mamelodi Sundowns.

MC Alger coach Rhulani Mokwena has revealed a deepening fitness crisis within his squad just before their critical CAF Champions League Group C fixture against Mamelodi Sundowns at Ali La Pointe Stadium this Friday.

The match pits the two sides against each other after contrasting starts to their campaign. MC Alger, in Mokwena’s first-ever loss since taking charge, suffered a 2-1 defeat to Al Hilal last week. Meanwhile, Sundowns began with a convincing 3-1 win over FC Saint-Eloi Lupopo.

The pressure is mounting on the former Orlando Pirates mentor to avoid a second consecutive defeat. However, the club’s efforts to bounce back from the Al Hilal setback have been complicated by the loss of key central defender Ayoub Ghezala to injury.

Rulani Mokwena Finds Humour in Adversity, Vows No Excuses

Despite the difficult situation that demands immediate defensive restructuring, Mokwena maintained a light-hearted approach when discussing his options.

“I have already asked [MC Alger goalkeeper Alexis] Guendouz to train as a centre-back in the past few days. I’m joking,” Mokwena quipped.

The coach emphasised that squad depletion has been a recurring theme since his arrival, yet he has never used it as an excuse.

“But listen, since I’ve been here, fortunately or unfortunately, I don’t know how you want to look at it. We have never had all our players available ever since day one. Whether it’s through suspension, national team responsibilities for some, or injuries.”

Rulani Mokwena listed several notable absentees, including Ghezala, Marwane Khelif, Mohamed Zougrana, and Mohamed Bangoura.

“Never ever have you heard me complain, not even once. So, it’s a situation which we have to find solutions for. We had a similar situation before, but in this moment we have to try and see,” he insisted.

Possible solutions in the heart of defence include Rostom Dendaoui, Khelif, or Mohamed Benkhemassa. Mokwena concluded firmly: “We have a squad, we are a big team, we have no excuses.”

Normal Preparation for a ‘Normal’ Opponent

Sundowns arrive in Algeria on a high, looking to emulate their success from the 2022/23 season when they defeated CR Belouizdad 4-1 in the same country. Despite the magnitude of the opponent—his former team, which includes players he knows intimately—Mokwena is treating the preparation as standard procedure.

“We prepare like any other normal game. Firstly, we had to recover from the difficult trip to Rwanda [where they faced Al Hilal] and then an analysis of our performance against Al Hilal,” the ex-Masandawana coach explained.

“Then we started our preparations like normal, for any other opposition. Trying to have enough information, not too much, but enough information for the players to be able to play the match. So, nothing special. It’s a Champions League game, of course, a difficult Champions League game. All games in the Champions League are difficult.”