Belouizdad out to dent Mazembe's hopes

CR Belouizdad will battle with TP Mazembe in the Caf Champions League group B match at the Stade du 5 Juillet 1962 in Algiers on Friday.

Kick-off is at 9:00 pm CAT.

The Algerian side is desperate for their maiden victory in group B after holding Sudanese giants Al Hilal to a 0-0 draw in a match that was played in Omdurman on 16 March.

The result left Belouizdad placed third on the group standings - nine points behind the already-qualified leaders Sundowns with two games left.

Franck Dumas, the Belouizdad head coach, felt that they were the better side in their clash against Al Hilal and he stated that his charges need to improve in front of goal.

“It's a disappointing result for us. We were the best in this game, especially in the second half. But as always, we miss a lot of scoring chances," Dumas said.

"This meeting reminds me of the one we played a few days ago against Mouloudia d'Alger. In fact, we dominated the opponent but we did not know how to take advantage of the spaces left by this Al Hilal team. We need more concentration in the future in front of goals."

Meanwhile, Mazembe are also winless in group B after succumbing to a 1-0 defeat to South African champions Mamelodi Sundowns in an encounter that took place in Pretoria on 16 March.

The DR Congolese champions find themselves placed fourth on the group standings - a point behind second-placed Al Hilal as the battle to qualify for the quarterfinals continues.

Moise Katumbi, the Mazembe president, has warned that his side will fight for a victory when they take on Belouizdad and urged their fans to back the team.

"We are going to Algeria with the firm hope of bringing back a positive result. We will fight as we did in South Africa where we were just unlucky," Katumbi said.

"Since I have been leading the team, we have already known times of famine as well as the happy periods of the trophies. TPM is a great club that was not built in a day, it takes a lot of work together with our supporters to achieve the goals. The impossible is not Mazembe."

The last meeting between Belouizdad and Mazembe was on 13 February 2021.

The two teams played to a 0-0 draw in a group B encounter which took place at the Stade de Mazembe.