TP Mazembe Englebert have remained behind in Morocco after securing a place in the African Confederation Cup to prepare for the two-legged tie against SuperSport United later this month.
The holders‚ who are looking to win the title for a second successive year‚ are using the superior training facilities in the north African country and playing friendlies against top flight clubs sides in an attempt to keep themselves in shape.
They beat Chabab Rif Al Hoceima 2-1 at the weekend and play AS Sale on Wednesday for much-needed match competition because the league in Congo has yet to get underway.
A dispute between the country’s football federation and the club has seen the traditional start in August postponed up to now‚ robbing Mazembe of valuable playing time.
It is scheduled to start now in a fortnight’s time.
Mazembe’s only competitive matches since July have come in the Confederation Cup‚ which makes their progress to the final even more remarkable because of their lack of any other match competition.
Having been eliminated from the Telkom Knockout last weekend‚ SuperSport do not have a match this weekend and will not play again competitively until they travel to Lubumbashi for the first leg of the final.
The exact dates and kick off times for the final showdown are yet to be determined by the Confederation of African Football but Mazembe will host the first leg on probably Sunday November 19‚ with the return leg in South Africa on Saturday‚ November 26.
SuperSport usually use Atteridgeville but because this is the second leg of a major club competition final‚ they are now obliged to look for a venue with suites and an enclosed VIP area.
Loftus Versfeld is the first choice but it is not yet settled‚ club official told TimesLIVE.
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