Esperance du Tunis coach Khaled Ben Yahia has named a traveling squad of 21 for the CAF Champions League round one first leg fixture against Kenya’s Gor Mahia at Machakos’ Kenyatta Stadium Wednesday.
The team left for Nairobi via Doha, Qatar Sunday and is expected to land in the Kenyan capital Monday.
The squad is generally unchanged except for two winter recruits Youcef Betaili and Mohammed Ali Moncer, who have been brought on board as reinforcements.
Among notable faces in the team is dreaded Tunisian international forward Taha Yassine Khenissi.
Taha, 26, was the tournament’s top scorer last season with seven goals. He recently renewed his stay with the blood and gold by committing to a new three-year-deal.
He was on the mark in Esperance’s 1-0 win over US Monastir in a league match played at Stade Mustapha Ben Jannet Stadium, Monastir, Tunisia Friday.
Esperance currently top 14-team Tunisian Ligue 1 standings on 47 points from 20 matches.
To reach the round of 32 they beat Mauritania’s ASAC Concorde 6-1 on aggregate. The first leg away ended 1-1 with the return match in Tunis ending 5-0 in their favor.
Gor on the other hand beat Equatorial Guinea’s Leones Vegetarianos 2-0 at home before holding them to 1-1 draw away to sail through.
K’Ogalo are also topping the domestic league after five rounds of matches on 13 points from four wins and a draw. They won their last match 2-0 against Bandari FC at the venue of the Wednesday’s match Saturday.
The aggregate winner after the return match on 10th March in Tunis will book a spot in the lucrative groups stage of the Africa’s premium club competition with the loser dropping into the CAF Confederation Cup playoff round.
The Squad;
Moez Ben Cherifia, Ali Jemal, Wassim Karoui, Sameh Derbali, Chamseddine Dhaouadi, Khalil Chemmam, Mohamed Amine Meskini, Houcine Rabii, Aymen Ben Mohamed, Fousseny Coulibaly , Franck Kom, Mohamed Ali Moncer, Saad Beguir, Anis Ben Hatira, Maher Besseghaier, Anis Badri, Youssef Belaili, Taha Yassine Khenissi, Haythem Jouini, Adem Rejaibi and Bilel Mejri.
