Algerian champions CR Belouizdad face a nearly impossible task on Saturday when Le Grand Chabab will attempt to overturn a 4-1 deficit in the second leg of their CAF Champions League quarterfinal tie against South Africa’s top club Mamelodi Sundowns. Sundowns outclassed CRB in every way in the first leg of their clash in Algiers and at this point it appears that the club popularly known as “The Brazilians” only need to keep their focus and avoid a catastrophe at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria to miss out on a spot in the semifinals.
Sundowns quickly dispelled any indications that their form was slipping with last week’s result and now it only seems like a formality for the club to advance to a matchup against either Wydad AC or Simba SC in the final four. Head coach Rulani Mokwena is saying all the right things ahead of the second leg to keep his side focused and avoid a collapse, remarking that “stranger things have happened in football” with regards to forfeiting a heavy lead.
Mokwena stated that his team will push for another emphatic result at home and despite the immense depth in his squad it is difficult to see too many changes in the starting eleven. Two goals last week for Namibian striker Peter Shalulile left the Sundowns legend with a hundred goals for the club and he will be eager to add to his total. Neo Maema and Teboho Mokoena continue to establish themselves as the preferred creative forces in the midfield while Mothobi Mvala is in excellent form as a more defensive-oriented option. Moroccan central defender Abdelmounaim Boutouil finally made his debut for the club at the beginning of the month and drew the praise of coach Mokwena as well as from this website in our scouting report on the former Chabab Mohammédia player.
On the other side, it seems like there is little belief from CRB that they can come back even if head coach Nabil Kouki’s job depends on it. The Tunisian tactician is probably avoiding the news this past week because Arabic-language and Algerian media is reporting that former Zamalek head coach Patrice Carteron is the most likely candidate to take over the club after their exit from the Champions League is confirmed. A crucial component of the CRB team is their two central midfielders, Houssem Mrezigue and Zakaria Draoui, who will miss out due to injury after Mrezigue missed the first leg and Draoui could only make it to halftime in Algiers. The odds are highly against CRB but they have won in Pretoria before, defeating Sundowns 2-0 in the group stage of the 2020-21 CAF Champions League in a match that was a “dead rubber” for Sundowns.
What was most disappointing for CRB supporters was the impotence of their three-player attack. Algerian forward Mohamed Islam Belkhir was particularly poor and appears unlikely to retain his spot in the eleven after being withdrawn at halftime in the first leg. Former Ireland under-19 national team player Ali Reghba and on loan attacker Ishak Talal Boussouf from Belgian club Lommel United could even get an opportunity if Kouki decides to exile his other regular forwards Anayo Iwuala and Leonel Wamba. 21-year-old midfielder Akram Bouras is a player to watch for and Algerian outlet Competition speculates that Mohamed Bakir may start to bring energy and attacking impetus to the midfield or attack.
More on the match from South African and Algerian media is in the links below.
