Tanzanian side Young Africans will face USM Algeria from Algeria in the two-legged final of the CAF Confederation Cup, with each aiming for a maiden continental trophy.
The first leg of the decider is in Dar es Salaam on Sunday, with the return in Algiers on June 3. Here is all you need to know about the two clubs.
YOUNG AFRICANS
CAF club ranking (IFFHS): 9
This season: P12 W8 D3 L1 GF16 GA5
Group D: Winners
Quarterfinals: W 2-0 on agg v Rivers United (Nigeria)
Semifinals: W 4-1 on agg v Marumo Gallants (South Africa)
Best Confederation Cup performance: Group Stages (2016, 2018)
CAMPAIGN SO FAR
Tanzanian champions Young Africans had entered the CAF Champions League this season but were knocked out in the second round by Sudanese side Al Hilal, which saw them drop into the Confederation Cup. It has been a dream run since then as they saw off tricky Tunisian side Club Africain 1-0 on aggregate and then topped a tough pool that also included Tunisians Monastir, TP Mazembe from DR Congo and Real Bamako of Mali. They brushed side Nigerians Rivers United and Marumo Gallants from South Africa in the knockout stage, having found the ability to win away – they have won their last three matches in the road, which in African club football is like gold.
WHY THEY CAN GO ALL THE WAY
Young Africans have really tightened up on defence this year and have in fact only conceded five times in their 12 Confederations Cup games. That gives them a base to work with and when you add some attacking flair up front with pace, it is a good combination. Their opponents USM Alger are quite limited in an attacking sense but have stout in defence and key for Yanga will be using their speed on transition to break them down.
HOW DO THEY PLAY?
At home Young Africans play with quite a traditional 4-4-2 and two strikers up front, with star man Fiston Mayele the lead forward playing off Stéphane Aziz Ki. They alter that away from home, and in their away quarterfinal against Rivers United played more of a 5-3-2 with fullbacks that pushed up when they were in position and became wingers but fell back into a five-man defence when the Nigerians were in possession. Expect much the same, they will be cautious in the away leg, but likely go for the kill in Dar es Salaam.
THE COACH
Nasreddine Nabi is a Tunisian coach who has flown a little under the radar, but held positions in Libya, Sudan and Egypt in the past. He took over Young Africans in April 2021 and led them to back-to-back domestic league titles, as well as their excellent run in the Confederation Cup this season. He hasn’t lasted long in his previous roles, so this has been a real breakthrough for the 57-year-old in his career.
KEY PLAYER
DR Congo forward Fiston Mayele has been a revelation in the Confederation Cup this season with six goals to jointly top the scorers’ charts. He joined Young Africans from AS Vita Club at the start of this season and been a driving force for the side in both domestic and continental football. He also has seven goals in the Champions League having netted hattricks in each leg of the first round win over Zalan from South Sudan, and then in the next stage in a losing effort versus Al Hilal. That means the 28-year-old has 13 goals in 16 games in CAF club competition this year, a superb return.
DID YOU KNOW?
Young Africans have never won a continental trophy before in their illustrious history. In fact, this is the first hear they have made a final! They had never previously been past the quarterfinals of any of Africa’s club competitions.
UNION SPORTIVE DE LA MEDINA D'ALGER
CAF club ranking (IFFHS): 14
This season: P14 W8 D4 L2 GF22 GA7
Group A: Runners-up
Quarterfinals: W 4-3 on agg v FAR Rabat (Morocco)
Semifinals: W 2-0 on agg v ASEC Abidjan (Ivory Coast)
Best Confederation Cup performance: Quarterfinals (2018)
CAMPAIGN SO FAR
USM Alger have reached a first Confederation Cup final in a campaign in which they faced two South African sides and showed that defence can be the best form of attack.
The Algerians, who lost the 2015 CAF Champions League final to TP Mazembe, are seeking a first continental title and may well be final to do so.
They beat Cape Town City 1-0 in the playoff round, albeit following some generous officiating, and then finished runner-up in their Group A behind Marumo Gallants. They edged FAR Rabat 4-3 in a thrilling quarterfinal before a more routine 2-0 success against ASEC Abidjan.
Key this season has been home form, where they have won all seven ties in front of their own fans. On the road they have been less successful, but still handy with one win, four draws and two defeats. Those losses came at Gallants and in Rabat.
WHY THEY CAN GO ALL THE WAY
They are utterly dominant at home, where they have scored 16 goals and conceded only two this season. That leg may hold the key to this tie because they will likely fancy their chances of holding Young Africans in Dar es Salaam.
They play the second leg at home as well, which many see as an advantage. Compact, well drilled and organised, they may not have the attacking flair of their opponents, but they will be tough to break down and rely on their smarts and the guile so many north African teams have. They are canny operators.
HOW DO THEY PLAY?
They mostly employ a 4-2-3-1 with Aimen Mahious as the lone forward holding up the play and bringing others into the game. It is a system they have rarely deviated from, and it seems certain they will go into the final in a similar vein. It gives them that defensive stability with a two-man shield in front of the back four, and with a strong targetman like Mahious, it allows the playmakers around him to influence the game.
THE COACH
Abdelhak Benchikha is an experienced Algerian coach who has been something of a journeyman in his career, holding 15 different roles since he was named Algeria national team coach in 2010. That includes some big teams, such as Club African and Moroccans Raja Casablanca, while he was also briefly in charge of RS Berkane last season, who ended up Confederation Cup winners. He was appointed USM coach on Christmas Day last year and led them to the continental final despite some quite disappointing domestic form that sees the team lying in eighth in the 16-team Algerian topflight.
KEY PLAYER
Winger Khaled Bousseliou does not always start but has made a massive impact for the team in recent weeks and scored in both their quarterfinal and semifinals wins. He arrived at the club from fellow Algerians CR Belouizdad at the start of this season and has managed four goals in nine appearances (five starts) in the Confederation Cup. The 25-year-old is very much an impact player and whether he comes off the bench or starts, will be a big danger for Young Africans.
DID YOU KNOW?
USM thumped Young Africans 4-0 at home when these teams met in the group stages of the 2018 Confederation Cup, but then lost 2-1 away in Dar es Salaam.