In the African Champions League.. are injuries hindering the Esperance train?
Tunisian Esperance Sporting Club is preparing to face South African club Sundowns next Sunday in the first leg of the semi-finals of the 2025-2026 African Champions League. This match comes after a historic qualification for "Al-Asma Club" at the expense of Al-Ahly of Egypt by a score of 4-2 on aggregate in the two quarter-final matches.
Chasing the Fifth Continental Dream
The Sheikh of Tunisian clubs enters the Golden Square driven by the dream of winning his fifth title in the glory of the continental championships, to add it to the coffers of his championships that were decorated with gold in 1994, 2011, 2018 and 2019, but this road is not without sudden stumbles that hit the team at a critical time.
Ambiguity about the position of the residents
The team is facing a psychological crisis represented by the absence of veteran star Youssef Al-Masakni from training during the past two weeks, and "Al-Nims" is still affected by the death of his father, and despite the great support from the management and the fans, the chances of his participation in the first leg seem to be slim unless he records his return to group training starting Tuesday.
Worrying injury to Chehab Jebali
On the technical level, Esperance received a painful blow with the injury of its playmaker Chehab Jebali during the match of the Sahel Star in the local league. Medical examinations are expected to decide on Monday the duration of the 29-year-old's absence, which is a key pillar of his 32 games this season, contributing to 5 goals.
Technical challenges facing the technical staff
These hot files put Esperance's technical staff under great pressure to find ready-made solutions and alternatives, especially since facing Sundowns requires maximum mental and physical readiness to ensure a positive result in Rades before the difficult return trip in South Africa.
Do you think that Esperance's substitutes are capable of making up for the absence of names of the value of Masakni and Jebali in a difficult tactical confrontation against Sundowns?