Esperance coach Moine Chaabani believes Zamalek are in same level with Esperance de Tunis ahead of CAF Super Cup
Esperance de Tunis face Egyptian giants Zamalek twice in February, with the first game that is bringing the two together is the CAF Super Cup that takes place the 14th day of this month in Qatar, and the second clash between the two power houses is the CAF Champions League quarter-final on 28th February.
Esperance de Tunis is now considered the continent’s most powerful team in the last three years, winning two of the last three edition of the Champions League.
On the other hand, their waiting opponents Zamalek have not been blessed with the same level of achievements in CAF competitions within the last three years, only that the Egyptians managed finals of the 2016 CAF Champions League and lifted last year’s CAF Confederation Cup.
Per Esperance’s success on the African continent, it is liable or sensible for pundits to level ‘a high pedigree’ tag on last year’s Champions League winners, meaning, they are now having high level status (Big club in last three years) than their Egyptian counterparts.
But Esperance coach Moine Chaabani doesn’t see, believe and accept this tag, and has went on to warn his side not to underestimate Zamalek, who the manager thinks Zamalek’s level is close to that of his team.
“Zamalek is a big club and won the Champions League five times. The level of the qualified teams (including Zamalek) to the quarterfinals is close,” Chaabani told Mosaique FM.
This is a good sign of respect for every opponents Chaabani faces, not underestimating the fact that Zamalek are the underdogs when the two meet in the Super Cup final and quarter-final of the Champions League.
He has urged his men to clinch the Super Cup in Qatar today’s week, a title Esperance last won in 1995, in order to boost their confidence ahead of the Champions League quarter-final meeting against the same opponents at the end of this month.
