Alger arrive for Cup match against Gor Mahia
Two USM Alger players train at the Kenya School of Monetary Studies on May 14, 2018 ahead of their Caf Confederation Group ‘D’ against Gor Mahia on May 16, 2018. PHOTO | CHRIS OMOLLO |
What you need to know:
- The 46-year-old Hamdi, who has been with the team for three years now, acknowledged the gravity of Wednesday’s match, and said they would treat the match seriously.
- “They (Gor) are a good side, I’ve watched them play once or twice. They also command some good support at home so it won’t be an easy match. We have to firm up our strategy and find ways of getting at them,” he said upon arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on Monday.
Algerian team USM Alger arrived in the country Monday for Wednesday's Caf Confederation Group ‘D’ match against Kenyan champions Gor Mahia which will be staged at the newly-refurbished Kasarani Stadium.
The Algerian team arrived early Monday morning and held light training at 5pm at the Kenya School of Monetary Studies in Nairobi under the watchful eyes of coach Miloud Hamdi.
The 46-year-old Hamdi, who has been with the team for three years now, acknowledged the gravity of Wednesday’s match, and said they would treat the match seriously.
“They (Gor) are a good side, I’ve watched them play once or twice. They also command some good support at home so it won’t be an easy match. We have to firm up our strategy and find ways of getting at them,” he said upon arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on Monday.
USM Alger coach Miloud Hamdi during the team's training session at the Kenya School of Monetary Studies on May 14, 2018 ahead of their Caf Confederation Group ‘D’ against Gor Mahia on May 16, 2018. PHOTO | CHRIS OMOLLO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
Wednesday's match will be Gor’s second in the Confederation Cup group stage following a 1-1 draw with Rwanda’s Rayon Sport on May 6 in Rwanda.
USM Alger are the group leaders, having beaten Young Africans of Tanzania 4-0 in their opening match, with Gor and Rayon Sport both having a single point.
This match will therefore have a great bearing on Gor and USM’s chances of proceeding to the competition’s quarter-finals, a feat which comes with a cash bounty of Sh35 million as well as continental pride and honour.
Rwandan Meddie Kagere, who scored for Gor against Rayon Sport, is suspended for the match, having collected two yellow cards in the competition, as has Alger defender Oussama Darfalou who also received his second caution in the competition against Tanzania’s Young Africans.
Alger, formed 80 years ago, is based in Algiers, and holds its regular matches at the 12,000-seater Omar Hamadi Stadium and its derbies at the July 5, 1962 Stadium in Algiers.
USMA is a post-war reference for the Algerian War that occurred between 1954 and 1962, and is one of Algeria’s most prominent football teams.
They have won the Algerian Ligue 1 seven times, the Algerian Cup eight times and the Algerian Super Cup twice.
