Al-Shaabani: The army confronts Saddam al-Kabir

Tunisian Moin Chaabani, coach of the Moroccan club Nahdet Berkane, confirmed that facing the Royal Moroccan Army in the first leg of the CAF Champions League semi-finals will be an “exceptional summit,” noting that the two teams’ knowledge of each other increases the difficulty of the match and the amount of excitement expected.

Chaabani said, in the press conference held today, Friday, in Rabat, that the match will be “very strong,” considering that reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League imposes double pressures and incentives on both the Berkane and Military teams alike, stressing that the clash will be major in light of the shared desire to reach the final.

The Brakna coach expressed his optimism about the atmosphere surrounding the match, saying: “We will play in an excellent stadium and in the presence of a large crowd, which are ideal conditions for a big match between two teams with a history of strong confrontations in the Moroccan championship.” He also warned that the match will be “difficult and stressful” for the players on the field.

Regarding the secret of excellence in this match, Al-Shaabani stressed that everyone has motivation, but the most important thing is focus, adding: "We hope to be at the peak of our mental and physical presence at 100% tomorrow. The players realize the responsibility, and the goal is to produce a result that serves our ambitions before the return match."

Al-Shaabani regretted the absence of Hamza Al-Moussawi, who was suspended by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for two years due to taking banned stimulants, considering that the punishment was harsh because the player only took some medications during the period in which he was ill.

It is noteworthy that the winner of RS Berkane and the Royal Army will play in the final with the winner of the other semi-final match in the tournament between Esperance of Tunisia and Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa.