Berkane out to upset Mazembe

RS Berkane will be determined to cause an upset when they square off with TP Mazembe in the CAF Confederation Cup semi-final, second-leg match at Stade Municipal de Berkane on Sunday.

Kick-off is at 10:00 pm CAT (SA, GMT+2).

MATCH BACKGROUND

The Moroccan side came into this tie as the underdogs due to Mazembe's incredible pedigree in African football, but the Oranges were able to frustrate the five-time CAF Champions League winners in the first-leg clash on May 8.

The Ravens needed John Bakata's stoppage-time goal to secure a 1-0 win over a stubborn Berkane side who were unlucky to concede in the last minute of the encounter which was played at the Stade TP Mazembe in Lubumbashi.

Berkane have gained a lot of continental pedigree in the last few years, especially in the Confederation Cup and they know what it takes to reach the final of Africa's secondary club tournament.

The Oranges took part in the 2019 and 2020 finals - losing to Egyptian football powerhouse Zamalek in 2019, before defeating Pyramids of Egypt in 2020 as they claimed their maiden continental trophy.

In DR Congolese coach Florent Ibenge, the North African side has a tactician who knows Mazembe very well having faced the Ravens several times during his time with their local rivals AS Vita Club.

Furthermore, Berkane are also undefeated at home in the Confederation Cup since they made their debut in the competition in 2015, but Mazembe will be looking to change this when the two teams meet in northeastern Morocco.

Boasting 11 continental titles including two Confederation Cup trophies, the Ravens have enough experience to reach the final for the fourth time as their French coach Franck Dumas looks to clinch his first major trophy in Africa.

However, the DR Congo champions will have to improve their away record in the Confederation Cup as they are winless in their last seven matches on the road including a 2-0 defeat to Egypt's Al Masry on February 20.

The winner on aggregate between the two sides will take on either South African giants Orlando Pirates or Al Ahli of Libya in the final at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, Nigeria on May 20.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

This will be the second-ever competitive meeting between Berkane and Mazembe as their first-leg encounter was their maiden clash.

The last time Berkane hosted a DR Congolese club in this competition they emerged as 3-0 winners over Motema Pembe in a Group C match in December 2019.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

BERKANE - CHARKI EL BAHRI

The attacking midfielder is the man who makes Berkane tick and he has also caught the eye with his goalscoring ability.

Having hit the ground running after joining the Oranges from Moroccan rivals Youssoufia Berrechid in January this year, El Bahri has netted three times in this continental tournament.

This makes El Bahri Berkane's joint-top scorer in the Confederation Cup this term and he could be key to his side's win over Mazembe.

MAZEMBE- JAPHTE KITAMBALA

The 23-year-old striker is the player to watch out for in this Mazembe side having scored important goals for the Ravens in this season's Confederation Cup.

A towering centre forward with an aerial prowess, Kitambala is the Ravens' joint top scorer with two goals having netted against Cameroon's CotonSport and Pyramids.

Kitambala will be ready to pounce and punish any mistakes by the Berkane defence.

WHAT THEY SAID

"The only regret we have for this game is that we were not good with the use of the ball," Berkane coach Ibenge said after the first-leg clash.

"But we will continue working because there is another game. We want to go to the final and it is not over yet. We still have the desire to go to the final."

Meanwhile, Mazembe coach Dumas said: “Winning 1-0 is not a dangerous lead. The most important thing is that we took advantage.

"We prefer to go there (Morocco) with a goal advantage although we had more chances to score more goals.

"But we will continue to work on this and it is up to us to finish the job in the second-leg match. We are not afraid of the opposing team, rather we have a lot of respect for them."