Photo by Jalal Morchidi/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Veteran attacking midfielder Abdelmoumene Djabou believes that his side can take advantage of playing on home ground and the backing of fans to overcome Al Ahly in the CAF Champions League semi-final game.
The Algerian side will be up for a tough challenge when they host Al Ahly for the semi-final second-leg game. Djabou and his teammates should fight hard since the Red Devils already have a two-goal lead advantage.
“We have to acknowledge that a lack of experience played a big role in that loss in Alexandria. We went into that game a bit overawed by our opponent’s stature. However, after the first half, we were all convinced we could get a positive result, and that our opponents weren’t as strong as we’d imagined,” the 31-year-old player said in an interview with FIFA.com
“We looked more confident in the second half and played well, but we just couldn’t score,” he added.
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Al Ahly announced the team’s squad earlier and they will be missing a number of players including Momen Zakaria, Nasser Maher, Akram Tawfik, Ali Maaloul, Sherif Ekramy, Junior Ajayi, and Mohamed Naguib.
“Both teams have an equal chance, but, unlike the first leg, we’ll have home advantage and the backing of our fervent supporters. We have to score goals and at the same time not concede. We know it’s a difficult task, but we’re ready for it,” Djabou explained.
The player pointed out that he considers winning the Champions League title and taking part in the Club World Cup as a personal goal that he would like to achieve before the end of his football career.
“I’ve played at the World Cup and the African Cup of Nations and have done everything at club level except to win the Champions league and participate in the Club World Cup.
“Every player dreams of winning a continental championship and making it to a major tournament like UAE 2018, so I’ll be doing everything in my power to finish my career with Setif with that very title and an appearance at the Club World Cup.”
He concluded the interview by highlighting his side’s impressive campaign in the Champions League and how they managed to make a late surge in the group and eventually reached the semi-finals, assuring that the team will do their best to continue the journey towards the continental title.
