A North African derby wraps up Friday’s action from the 2022-23 CAF Champions League group stage with Algerian side JS Kabylie hosting reigning Moroccan and African champions Wydad AC. JSK achieved an excellent result in their opening Group A clash despite awful domestic form, claiming a point in Angola with a 0-0 draw against Petro de Luanda. Wydad are kicking off the group stage after participating at the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup and have an opportunity to seize first position.
The odds are against JSK once again due to some notable absences in the team as well as coach Miloud Hamdi, who is not allowed to be on the sidelines because he has yet to obtain a CAF coaching license. Another crucial player who will likely be missing due to injury is veteran midfielder Salim Boukhenchouche. However the Canaries are not a team to count out after navigating a very hot atmosphere to not only hold out against last season’s CAFCL semifinalists Petro but also create a couple of scoring opportunities.
Boukhenchouche stated his intention to push past his hamstring injury to take part in the crucial match and would be JSK’s most important player in the middle of the pitch. 21-year-old wide player Kouceila Boualia impressed against Petro and will need to be at his best once again with a matchup against Wydad left back Yahia Attiyat Allah coming. Forward Dadi Mouaki will hope to improve on his performance against Petro that saw him miss an excellent chance to give his team three points in Luanda.
Wydad did not experience a warm welcome from their Algerian counterparts to say the least, the last thing the Moroccan champions needed before a crucial match. The club’s photographer had his equipment confiscated upon arrival at the Houari Boumediene airport in Algiers while the team claimed it experienced “harassment”. Political tensions between Morocco and Algeria, something that came back to prominence with Morocco’s refusal to take part at the 2022 African Nations Championship (CHAN) hosted by Algeria last month, is something that only adds to the importance of Friday’s match.
The Reds have a mostly healthy squad which is good for coach Mehdi Nafti, who reportedly must win Friday’s match in order to keep his job. Wydad, hosts of the recently completed FIFA Club World Cup, lost their opening quarterfinal match in heartbreaking fashion on penalty kicks and still remain outside of the top spot in Morocco’s Botola Pro. Attackers Aymane El Hassouni and Didier Lamkel Zé will need to deliver for WAC after the club narrowly escaped another defeat on penalty kicks in the Moroccan domestic cup, the Coupe du Trône, last Friday.
More on both teams is in the links below.
