Absences hit the army before the Downs match.

"Hesport" learned from a reliable source that three players will be absent from the Royal Army team's list traveling to Pretoria, South Africa, in preparation for the match against Mamelodi Sundowns, as part of the first leg of the African Champions League final, scheduled for next Sunday.

The same source confirmed that the technical staff of the "military" team will miss the services of several key players, most notably Zinedine Drak, who is serving a three-month suspension from the African Football Confederation, in addition to goalkeeper Ayoub Khiyati due to injury.

It has also become difficult for Senegalese defender Fallou Mendy to accompany the team to South Africa, after suffering a muscle tear in his thigh, which threatens his participation in the first leg match.

In this context, the Royal Army continues its preparations for the upcoming match, as the team is holding a training session today, Wednesday, before the delegation departs for South Africa tomorrow evening, Thursday, via a special flight from Rabat-Salé Airport to Johannesburg Airport.

It is worth noting that the first leg match will take place next Sunday at the "Lucas Moripe" Stadium in Pretoria, starting at 3 PM Moroccan time, while the return match will be held at the Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat next Saturday.