Petro face mammoth task to reach the final

Petro de Luanda must pull off mission impossible in the second leg of their CAF Champions League semifinal tie against Wydad Casablanca at the Mohammed V Stadium on Friday.

Kick-off is at 9pm CAT (SA, GMT+2)

MATCH BACKGROUND

The Tricolores suffered their first defeat in seven matches when Wydad ran out comfortable 3-1 victors in the first leg at the 11 November Stadium last Saturday.

Alexandre Santos's side saw plenty of the ball but they allowed the Red Castle too much time and space when not in possession and were made to pay dearly.

An own-goal from Tiago Azulao gave the Moroccan champions the lead on 16 minutes and Yahya Jabrane doubled their advantage on the stroke of halftime before Guy Mbenza sealed the victory in the 68th minute.

Job pulled one back for Petro nine minutes from time to give them a glimmer of hope, although they would need to inflict a first home defeat on Wydad in the competition this season, while also preventing them from scoring in Casablanca - a feat only achieved by CR Belouizdad in the quarterfinals with a 0-0 draw.

Walid Regragui's team scored 11 goals and conceded just two at the Mohammed V Stadium in the group stages, although the Angolan giants were one of the two opponents to breach their defence.

Wydad also have the added incentive of playing on home soil in front of their own fans should they reach the final on 30 May after CAF announced on Monday that Morocco will host the showpiece event.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

Prior to the semifinal, first leg, the two teams had met six times before - all in the CAF Champions League. They were drawn together in the group stages during the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons, as well as this term.

The Red Castle boast five wins, with their biggest victory coming earlier this year when they thumped Petro 5-1 on matchday 6.

The Tricolores had claimed their first-ever triumph over Wydad on matchday 2 with a 2-1 success in Luanda. The spoils have been shared on one occasion following a 2-2 draw in the Angolan capital on 11 January 2020.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

PETRO DE LUANDA - Tiago Azulao

The Brazilian remains the top scorer in the competition despite failing to find the back of the net at the right end of the pitch against Wydad last time out.

Azulao scored in both the home and away legs against Mamelodi Sundowns in the quarterfinals to take his tally for the campaign to six goals, having netted four times during the group stages.

When the 34-year-old scores Petro tend to win, although they will need a sterling effort in defence to keep the hosts at bay in Casablanca.

WYDAD CASABLANCA - Guy Mbenza

The DR Congo youngster finally opened his account in the CAF Champions League with his team's third goal in the semifinal, first leg.

Mbenza has spearheaded Wydad's title challenge in the Botola Pro with 12 goals in 21 appearances to help them to the top of the table on goal difference ahead of arch-rivals Raja Casablanca.

The 22-year-old forward will be glad to be free of the shackles on the African stage as he looks to fire the Red Castle into the final for a fourth time.

WHAT THEY SAID

Regragui was pleased to see his tactical plan come to fruition in the first leg, but admitted he was surprised by the scoreline in the end.

"We knew that Petro de Luanda likes to play tiki taka [short passing] and we had a strategy of letting them play and going over their mistakes," he said.

"And, quite simply, that strategy worked very well for my team. We expected to win, but I must say that Petro are a very strong team and we didn't expect to win by 3-1."

Santos acknowledges that Petro face a massive task of trying to turn the tie around after conceding three goals in Luanda, given Wydad's formidable form at home.

"(The first leg) result complicates our aspirations to reach the final," he was quoted as saying by O Jogo.

"We are at a big disadvantage for the second leg and I know it will be very difficult, because we know which team we will face in front of their audience."