October 15, 2011 (Super Sport)
October 15, 2011 (Super Sport)
Interclube of Luanda have already made history by becoming the first Angolan club to reach the semifinals of the CAF Confederation Cup.
And they are now seeking more glory as victory over two legs would see them dump Maghreb de Fes of Morocco to qualify for the final of the competition.
Interclube goalkeeper Tsherry has expressed confidence of victory in front of their fans on Sunday.
“We are well prepared for the challenge that MAS will offer but our focus remains to get to the final,” said Tsherry.
“MAS are a strong team and that’s why they have got this far. We respect them, but we want to win so that it will be happy ending for Interclube.”
The goalkeeper also dismissed suggestions that the Moroccans hold a slight advantage as they will play the first leg of this semifinal away from home before they stage the return match at home.
“When you get to the semifinal, it really does not matter much whether you play at home or away first. At this stage, you should be ready for anything,” he said.
The Luanda club finished second in Group A with 10 points and hold a 100% record at home having won all three group games including a massive 4-1 thrashing of Nigeria’s Kaduna United.
However, results also show they have struggled away from home as they could only manage a point at Kaduna United, while losing at Club Africain and Asec Mimosas.
Coached by Antonio Caldas, Interclube parade some exciting players including striker Rocha Baros Manucho, who netted a brace in his team’s 2-1 home win over eventual group winners Club Africain of Tunisia.
Maghreb de Fes have extended the fine run of Moroccan clubs in Africa’s second tier club competition which was continued by last year’s winners FUS Rabat.
They finished top of Group B with 14 points from six matches and remain the only team in the entire competition not to lose in the group phase.
They parade the leading scorers in this year’s competition, Hamza Abourazzouk and Tarik Sektioui, who have each netted five goals.
MAS have also shown they have a solid defence as they have only conceded two goals in six matches as against the six conceded by Interclube.
