Algeria coach Abdelhak Benchikha (Photo: Ahram Online Archive)
Abdelhak Benchikha – coach of Moroccan side Difaa Hassani Jadida – says his team is happy to play against Egypt's Ahly in the African Confederation Cup, insisting that they will fight to proceed in the prestigious continental tournament.
The Cairo giants were paired with their Moroccan counterparts in the second phase of the round of 16 draw announced last week.
"The technical staff and the players are happy with the draw result, as we will meet the club of the century in Africa," Benchikha was quoted as saying by Egypt's state news agency MENA.
Ahly joined the Confederation Cup after being eliminated from the Champions League by Libya's Ahly Benghazi.
They will be Egypt's sole representative in the competition, after Ismaily and Wadi Degla were knocked out by Petro Atletico of Angola and the Malian side Djoliba.
Ahly have no other choice but to win against Difaa to reconcile their fans after their Champions league exit and also their inconsistency in the domestic league this season.
"Great teams like Ahly can recover quickly, so we expect a tough and strong match. We will fight because we will be representing Morocco in the competition," the Moroccan coach Benchikha said.
The first leg between Ahly and Difaa will be played on 18, 19 or 20 April in Cairo, while the return leg will be held in Morocco on 25, 26 or 27 of the same month.
The winner will directly qualify for the group stage.
"I fear that we could be negatively affected by exhaustion as we are obliged to play to successive matches in the domestic league before travelling to Cairo to play the first leg," concluded the 50-year old tactician.
The second phase of the round of 16 comprises eight teams eliminated from the Champions League and eight who qualified from the Confederation Cup's original round of 16.
Difaa Hassani Jadida, who qualified after beating Rwanda's AS Kigali, are sixth in the Moroccan league with 33 points, 13 behind leaders Maghreb Tetouan.
(For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
Short link: