RS Berkane's goalkeeper Hamza Hamiani during his side's final preparations ahead of Sunday's CAF Confederation Cup final first leg against Zamalek. Photo: RS Berkane’s official X account.
The Moroccan club will host Zamalek in the first leg of the final on Sunday, in a reprise of the 2019 final of the continental competition.
"All our players are prepared to face Zamalek, and we aim to secure a positive result in the first leg to take a comfortable lead into the return match," Hamiani told Egyptian TV channel On Time Sports on Friday.
"The final will be a difficult encounter, as all finals are," he admitted. "Zamalek are a strong team with a talented squad boasting players with vast experience in continental championships.
"However, we have a good team with great players ourselves, and I believe the game will be evenly contested," the 30-year-old keeper added.
Addressing the fact that RS Berkane did not play the semi-final in both legs against Algeria’s USM Alger due to political dispute, Hamiani said: "We'll put that behind us. Our focus is solely on the pitch. We are not fazed by external matters.
"We are undergoing thorough preparations for the Zamalek match. Finals demand high levels of concentration throughout, with tactical battles and physical confrontations likely to play out. Ultimately, it will be the small details that decide the outcome," he concluded.
The game marks a rematch of the 2019 final, where both teams won their home leg 1-0 before Zamalek prevailed 5-3 on penalties.
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