Wydad Casablanca will be seeking vengeance when they face Simba SC in a CAF Champions League quarterfinal second-leg clash at Stade Mohamed V in Morocco on Friday.
Kick-off is at 9:00 pm CAT.
FORM
The Moroccan champions are on the backfoot after suffering a 1-0 loss to Simba in the first-leg clash in Tanzania on April 22 as Wydad’s five-match unbeaten run in the Champions League came to an end.
However, the Red Castle are undefeated in their last nine home matches in continental tournament having recorded an impressive seven victories and two draws which came against Angola’s Petro de Luanda and CR Belouizdad of Algeria.
Meanwhile, Simba bounced back to winning ways in the Champions League when they claimed a narrow win over Wydad and prior to the match, they had lost to Moroccan giants Raja Casablanca in their final group stage game.
The defeat to Raja was the Tanzanian giants’ second loss in their last three away games in this prestigious competition including a defeat to Guinea’s Horoya AC and a win over Ugandan side Vipers.
TEAM NEWS
Mohamed Ounajem, who missed the first-leg game, expected to be back in the Wydad matchday squad after the 31-year-old attacker settled his dispute with the club’s head coach Juan Carlos Garrido.
Both Wydad and Simba have no suspension concerns coming into the second-leg encounter.
WHAT WAS SAID?
Wydad Casablanca head coach Juan Carlos Garrido
“The opponent imposed themselves on us, and they were strong and deserved victory,” Garrido said in the post-match conference.
“Now we will turn this page and head forward into the future, and the return match will be completely different from the one we experienced in Tanzania.
“We suffered due to the absences of some players, and with the presence of our fans and our players having recovered, we will snatch the ticket for the semifinals.”
Simba head coach Roberto Oliveira ‘Robertinho’
“I congratulate my players for a good performance; it was not an easy match,” Robertinho said in the post-match conference.
“We have played against big teams, but we have done well. “Our team is getting stronger every day; we have the best players.
“So we tackle every game with great respect as each team that faces us is keen on how good we are.”
HEAD-TO-HEAD Stats
Wydad and Simba have met twice in the Champions League since 2011 with each team having recorded a win.
The Red Castle thrashed Simba 3-0 the last time they hosted the Reds of Msimbazi in May 2011.
