Johannesburg – Forget the drama of match venues and the denial of entry visas because of the Covid-19 pandemic, now that Kaizer Chiefs finally meet Moroccan giants Wydad Casablanca at a neutral venue on 4 August stadium in Ouagadoudou, the capital of Burkina Faso in West Africa.
Amakhosi would be lucky to return with a draw, let alone a victory. While it is the first time that Chiefs qualify for the group stage of the CAF Champions League in five attempts, their north African opponents are seasoned campaigners, having won the trophy in 2017, being runners-up in the 2019 final and having qualified for the knockout stage in every campaign thereafter.
In Group C, Wydad are second behind mini-log leaders Horoya on the standings after their 1-0 win over Angolan side Petro de Luanda, who are in fourth place after losing twice.
Chiefs are third after the goalless draw with Horoya AC of Guinea at home on Tuesday.
Amakhosi midfielder Anthony Akumu concedes that his side are the underdogs going into this evening’s clash but the mood in the camp is positive and they are buoyed by the fact that they have not lost so far in the competition.
Akumu said: “I’m grateful to be among the travelling squad. I think the spirit is there and everyone is eager because, as you saw, we didn’t get maximum points in the last game,” Akumu said on kaizerchiefs.com. “Wydad are a good side, they have been in the competition , I don’t know how many years, and have been doing well.
“On our side, maybe we will look like underdogs but that is a good sign because maybe they don’t know us, and we don’t know them, so that is another good thing. We will just go there to play our game the way we know and do our best to get maximum points.
“Playing at a neutral venue is even better because it is a place they are also not familiar with.”
Follow @SundayWorldZA on Twitter and @sundayworldza on Instagram, or like our Facebook Page, Sunday World, by clicking here for the latest breaking news in South Africa. To Subscribe to Sunday World, click here.
Sunday World
