First place in Group D of the CAF Champions League is at stake on Saturday evening in a North African clash between Tunisian giants Espérance and Egypt's Pyramids FC in Tunis. Both teams, heavy favorites to qualify for the quarterfinals, are on four points each and Saturday's could go a long way towards determining who will finish first in the group.
Espérance
EST head coach Laurentiu Reghecampf was dismayed with his team's performance in Angola against Sagrada Esperança despite earning a point away from home. The 0-0 draw saw a strong defensive performance but also a lack of bite in the attack despite the presence of Algerian superstar Youcef Belaïli. Reghecampf stated that he discussed the poor performance with his players who are determined to show their best in front of the passionate home support.
Belaïli leads the attack in good form but it resembles the EST team from last year that depended on their defense to reach the final. Brazilian attacker Yan Sasse, a player who provides balance to the attack with Belaïli, remains injured with South African Elias Mokwena still finding his stride in North Africa since arriving from Sekhukhune United. Strong striker Rodrigo Rodrigues is the other Brazilian in the team but has yet to score in twelve CAF Champions League appearances.
The defense is the strength for EST even without captain and leader Yassine Meriah due to a long-term knee injury. Algerian defender Mohamed Amine Tougai steps in to lead the defense from a central position and his form is improving with the additional responsibility. In front of the defense, Togolese midfielder Roger Aholou and Tunisia's Houssem Tka are a strong duo who make EST even more difficult to breach.
Pyramids FC
It appeared that Pyramids performed poorly in their scoreless draw at Mali's Djoliba last weekend in Bamako but coach Krunoslav Jurčić revealed that it was the "most difficult" match in his coaching career. Illness ran through the squad with a couple of key players forced to play despite suffering from flu. It appears that many of those affected are feeling better but Jurčić explained there are still issues as the team traveled straight from Bamako to Tunis. In a North African duel, Jurčić stated that avoiding mistakes is the most important task.
Fullbacks Mohamed Hamdy and Mohamed Chibi managed to play over sixty minutes despite illness and Pyramids supporters hope both important players are ready to go on Saturday with their attacking runs down the flanks. The center of the defense is a potential issue for Pyramids but it appears that regular goalkeeper Ahmed El Shenawy will be back between the sticks. The attack suffered the most from the illness and it remains to be seen if players like Fiston Mayele will return. However, star attacker Ibrahim Adel is set to return to the eleven after a proposed transfer to Spanish club Getafe did not happen.
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