CAF Champions League Esperance ready to finish off Sundowns in South Africa – Oussema Bouguerra

Esperance striker Oussema Bouguerra has warned Mamelodi Sundowns they are in South Africa to finish the job they started when the two sides face off in the return leg semi-final clash of the CAF Champions League on Friday.

The Tunisian giants hold a 1-0 aggregate lead over Mamelodi Sundowns from last weekend’s first leg in Tunis, and merely have to avoid defeat in Friday’s semi-final second leg at Loftus Versfeld Stadium.

“We did a [good] first leg in Tunisia and we’ve come here to finish the tie. Inshallah we will try to win and progress to the final,” said Bougerra via an Arabic translator.

“We didn’t play differently in Tunisia, but we did our job and that’s why we scored a goal there. Each game has it’s own [dynamics], so we are here to finish the match and win inshallah.”

Esperance previously tasted victory over Sundowns in Pretoria – winning 2-1 in the Champions League group stages back in 2017 during former coach Pitso Mosimane’s era, but Bougerra says they are motivated to now progress to the final.

“We know this Sundowns team very well and we also know that we can win here. Esperance have a tradition and culture of this competition, that’s why we are here to win,” added the 25-year-old.

“I think this is the best motivation for any player who plays in the Champions League, playing in a semi-final and hoping to pass into the final – it’s very important for every player.”


Dennis Mabuka

Dennis Mabuka is a seasoned Kenyan journalist with 18 years of experience covering sports events. He is currently a sport content creator with en.Africatopsports.com.

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