In an atmosphere of tension and doubts, Esperance de Tunis have completed their preparations for the upcoming match, which their coach, Nabil Maaloul, sees as an opportunity to renew the alliance with victory and put an end to the wave of doubt that has befallen the team in its recent matches, whether in the Tunisian League or the Champions League.
How has the level of Hope dropped recently?
Espérance de Tunis suffers from a clear crisis of results in its last matches, since it suffered 3 defeats in the last 6 matches, including two in a row in one week, against Sfaxien and the African, in championship. The disappointing results cast a shadow over the club and caused a wave of anger, particularly for coach Nabil Maaloul, who was the subject of a torrent of criticism, while many supporters of the Sang et Or team demanded his resignation from office after the defeat in the “Capital Derby” against Club Africain (1-0). “The confrontation with Al-Ahly is the game of the season, during which we will work on victory to restore confidence after having gone through a difficult period in terms of results,” said Maaloul, the Tunisian coach of Esperance.
The Curse of Wounds
It should be noted that the Tunisian Esperance will lose a number of their pillars due to injury, and these are the captain and goalkeeper, Moez Bin Sharifia, Ghilan Al-Shaalali, Hani Amamou, Hamdo Al-Huni, Riyad Bin Ayad, and the Jordanian Faisal Abou Razouk Sharara.
The club will also lose its supporters, given that the first leg will be played without the presence of the public, after the sanction of the Disciplinary Committee of the African Football Confederation, following the riots which took place during the confrontation between Espérance and JS Kabylie last month in Radès for the quarter-finals.
Esperance goalkeeper Moez Ben Sharifia has confirmed in statements to ‘Sky News Arabia’ that the many absences in the ranks of his team will not discourage his colleagues from presenting an honorable face to the team to win and ensure the best chance of reaching the final round, according to him.
In his interview with “Sky News Arabia”, Ben Cherifieh believes that “Al-Ahly and Esperance are the strongest and best teams in Africa, and the match will be exciting and exciting, despite the absence of the Esperance supporters, who, according to his description, are the strike force of the club and the element that has always supported the players even in times of crisis.
The Esperance and Tunisian national team goalkeeper, who will be the biggest absentee from the confrontation, says: “I will be with my colleagues before the match. I have full confidence in the players to win. Al-Ahly is strong, but defeating him will not be difficult.
Throughout his career, Ben Cherifieh has faced Al-Ahly 12 times, the first of which was in the 2012 Champions League final and the last in the 2021 semi-final.
History with Al-Ahly
The Taraji and Al-Ahly match is the most frequent confrontation in the African Champions League, as the two teams have met in 20 matches in this competition, in addition to two matches in the Confederation Cup. Al-Ahly has a clear precedence over Esperance as they have won 12 matches out of a total of 22 encounters between the two teams. Esperance has won 4 against a draw in 6 meetings between the two teams. Tunisian Esperance has never won outside Tunisia against Al-Ahly, because all the matches that took place in Cairo ended either in a victory for Al-Ahly or in a draw, and in return Al-Ahly won at the Radès stadium 4 times, the last of which was in June 2021 in the semi-finals. The first leg will take place on Friday night at Rades Stadium, while the second leg will take place at Cairo Stadium on May 19.
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