Tunisia’s Club Africain will likely prove a physically imposing and tough opponent for SuperSport United in the semifinal of the African Confederation Cup but past history gives the Pretoria club hope of advancing past them and into the final of the continental club completion.
SuperSport go straight from the success of their quarterfinal triumph against Zesco United of Zambia into this weekend’ semifinal.
They host the Tunisians in the first leg at Atteridgeville on Saturday afternoon (kick off 3pm) and then play the return on the weekend of October 20-22.
The exact date and venue of the second leg is yet to be fixed.
Club Africain were the side that Kaizer Chiefs beat both home and away in the African Cup Winners’ Cup semifinal in 2001 on their way to winning the trophy‚ then named after Nelson Mandela.
It is the only previous meeting between Club Africain and a South African clubs and Chiefs won 2-0 at home in the first leg and then‚ with a much depleted squad‚ were also successful in the return game in Tunis.
Club Africain are perennial participants in the annual African club competitions and were runners-up in the Confederation Cup in 2011.
Former AC Milan and Italy striker Marcio Simone has recently taken over as coach. He previously coached Moaco and his appointment is a major coup for the Tunisian team.
They have one current Tunisian international‚ defender Bilel Ifa‚ in their squad ands former natiomal team stalwarts like striewker Saber Khalifa but imports from Algeria‚ Mokhtar Belkhuiter and Ibrahim Chenini‚ and from Ghana - Nicholas Opuku.
Muhsin Ertugral coached there briefly in 2003 and Ruud Krol had a six month spell at the club last year.
- TimesLIVE
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