The odds are heavily against ES Sétif when they take on defending African champions Al Ahly in the first leg of their CAF Champions League semifinal on Saturday, but the Algerian club and manager Darko Novic fancy their chances. Having eliminated Tunisian powerhouse Espérance in the quarterfinals with a stunning 1-0 second leg victory on the road in his debut match, Novic will be drawing upon his past experience in African football to mastermind a positive result in the first leg in Cairo.
Novic knows Ahly well from his time spent as an assistant manager in Libyan football, when Al-Ittihad made it to the CAFCL semifinals in 2007 before bowing out to Ahly by an aggregate score of 1-0. BBC Sport Africa’s Morad Dakhil has more on Novic’s aspirations in his new role and what he learned from his experience in 2007.
