Match Preview: Wydad Athletic vs Hearts of Oak, Team News, Probable Lineups & TV Coverage
Wydad Athletic Club will be hoping to overturn their 1-0 deficit against Hearts of Oak in the Caf Champions League first round as they host the Ghanaian side in Casablanca.
Hearts pulled impressive display to beat the Moroccan giants by a lone goal at Accra Sports Stadium last weekend. A combination of effort from Salifu Ibrahim and Isaac Mensah got Hearts of Oak that crucial win in Ghana.
The former swung in a decent cross from left for Mensah to direct to the far posts. The Moroccans despite their coronavirus challenges gave Hearts of Oak a good run for their money and find back of the net in stoppage time but the goal was ruled offside.
Overturning a 1-0 score line at famous Mohamed V Stadium in Casablanca wouldn’t be a hectic hurdle for Wydad having previously cruise into big victories in the Caf Champions League. In fact they have never been eliminated from the preliminary phase of the competition since 2007.
Wydad’s last elimination before the group stage phase came against ASEC Memosas in 2007 after the Ivorian side emerged 2-0 winners over two-legged affair at the second round of the Champions League.
Since then, as far as Wydad have participated in the African Champions League, they have entered the group stages and beyond. This their strong record slides Hearts of Oak chances to the slim.
They were crushed out from the competition at their own backyard two years ago after Al Ahly getting the better of Wydad in the 2019-2020 Caf Champions League. At the semifinals stage, the Egyptian side won 2-0 in the first leg in Cairo before beating WAC 3-1 in the return leg that saw the Moroccans exited the competition two seasons ago.
It has been 14 years now when Wydad were crushed out of the Champions League at their own home in the qualifying to group stage phase. After ASEC Memosas winning the first leg of the second round 2-0 against Wydad in Abidjan, the Moroccan side were forced to a 0-0 draw in the return leg in the 2007 Caf Champions League.
All these highlight how difficult the game would be for Hearts when the play at Casablanca in the returned fixture on Sunday evening with their first Caf Champions League attempt after 2007 ending in finals for WAC in 2011 and at least semifinals from 2011 to date, thus only when they qualify (from the Moroccan league) to play in the Champions League.
However, that alone doesn’t guarantee automatic qualification for Wydad while completely ruling out the Ghanaian champions of the second leg clash.
This means not only Wydad; though they are the favorites; both teams may require more energy, on-and-off the pitch tactics and luck to seal through to the group stages of the African Champions League. Should Hearts finally qualify in Casablanca this evening, it will be the first time to appear in the group stages of the Champions League since 2006.
The Ghanaian side and Wydad both entered into the tie as champions in the domestic league. And while Wydad won it back-to-back, Hearts lifted the Ghana Premier League first time in 12-years. Wydad have climbed to top of this season’s Moroccan Botola league with 16 points as winning the domestic title for third time in running is on course.
However, Hearts’ defending of the Ghana Premier League has not yet started with the 2021-2022 season starting next week Friday. With this in play, Wydad have more league exposure than their Ghanaian rivals but Hearts enter into the Caf Champions League with their third game while Wydad play their second game this season in the African top flight club competition.
The winner after tonight’s game in Casablanca will progress into the group stages of the Champions League. Hearts of Oak have the better dynamics after winning the first leg, and if perhaps they end up in the money zone, it becomes their first since after 15-years.
In the 2006 group stages, Hearts of Oak failed to win any of the group stage fixtures against Enyimba FC, Orlando Pirates and ASEC Memosas.
Hearts have scored 3 goals without conceding so far in the competition and it is their first away game in this season. The last that Hearts played in the Champions League away game they were thrashed 3-0 by Gabonese outfit FC 105 Libreville in prelims in 2008.
The two teams are part of the only seven clubs that have won all the current three continental championships thus the Champions League, Confederations Cup and Super Cup.
Wydad Athletic Club have played Ghanaian clubs on 11 occasions, picking up three wins, two draws and six defeats which all came away from home including last Sunday’s loss in the hands of their today’s opponent.
Wydad Athletic Club has been very competitive in the past five years beating African best club Al Ahly to win the 2017 edition and also controversially losing the trophy to Esperance in 2019 due to VAR complications on the day.
Team News- Wydad AC
Wydad missed a couple of senior players and officials including their head coach Walid Rekraki in the first leg at the Accra Sports Stadium last Sunday.
The likes of Reda Jaadi, Théophile Tsomo, Gaye Mpenza, Salahuddin Benisho and Jalal Daoudi sustained injuries and boss Rekraki and their physical trainer tested positive for covid-19. Reda Jaadi, Mpenza and Daoudi have recovered and are available for selection.
With return leg coming just a week after, Wydad may have their boss back on the touch line after going for covid-19 test again ahead of the second leg. According to reports, Walid Rekraki is cleared free from the virus to be back to business. After defeat in the Caf Champions League to Hearts, Wydad return to the Moroccan league to win against OC Safi to remain unbeaten in the league.
Team News- Hearts of Oak
Hearts of Oak missed the services of Caleb Amankwah who pulled out injury in their first game against Club Industriel Kamsar. Meanwhile, Congolese International Raddy Ovouka was a first half substitute in the first leg against WAC after pulling injury. Both players traveled with the Hearts team to Morocco and both players could start in Samuel Boadu’s XI.
Hearts boss Samuel Boadu named 24- man squad for the Moroccan trip.
Wydad Probable XI:
Hearts Probable XI: Richard Atta, Fatawu Mohammed, Robert Addo Sower, Mohammed Alhassan, William Denkyi, Caleb Amankwah, Emmanuel Nettey, Salifu Ibrahim, Kofi Kordszi, Afriyie Barnieh, Isaac Mensah
TV Coverage
The game will be live on National Television in Morocco and live on GTV Sports Plus in Ghana.
The game will also be live on BeIN Sports
Channels
- GTV Sports Plus (Ghana)
- BeIN Sports (Morocco and other African countries)
- National TV (Morocco)
