Mohammed V Stadium is a fortress for Wydad Casablanca in the CAF Champions league. You can ask TP Mazembe, Zamalek or Zesco United; the Botola Pro league Champions are monstrous in their backyard.
Wydad are undefeated at home this term and in the last 2 seasons have not shared any spoils with foreign sides, only one defeat: against Al Ahly in July 2016.
Can Zanaco become the first foreign side to get a win or draw for first time this season?
In the final round of the 2017 CAF Champions league group stages, Zambian Champions, Zanaco treks to the lion’s den, Mohammed V stadium to lock horns with Wydad Casablanca.
The permutation are that, a draw or win could see Zanaco swim to safety against the raging tide that is threatening them out of the African clubs top tier.
To worsen the matter for the BANKERS, Wydad are very much aware of the fact that, triumph could land them an insurmountable 12 points, in case of Al Ahly beating the Achilles heel side of this group Coton Sport.
Oh! kneel down you Zanaco, pray to the Lord of your nation that, Coton Sport hold Al Ahly. But again, God or Allah for the Moslems, is for everyone. Thus each man must strive to play his role.
Zanaco should scrap Wydad’s track record in their brains. Turn a blind eye that fellow countrymen, Zesco United sunk in this same territory last year.
Against all the writings on the wall, Numba Mumamba has led this team thus far. Against the odds, Numba Mumamba can walk inn and out of Morocco with his head high.
How to win or draw at Wydad
Enough of the motivation talks from me, they never won Ephraim “Shakes” Mashaba an AFCON title, at the helm of Bafana Bafana technical bench, until he dug his own grave, after disrespecting his paymasters.
RULE NUMBER 1: Zanaco should have a thick skin not to allow themselves being intimidated. North Africans are well known of playing mind games.
According to CAF regulations that, a visiting team should train on a pitch set to be utilized for match day, the BANKERS could be taken to an artificial turf, which is contrary to game day turf.
Fans will try to light the razers and flayers, but this should not let Zanaco be distracted from the most important things in life.
RULE NUMBER 2: Zanaco should not go to Morocco with a defensive mindset. They say, the best form of defending is to “attack, attack” [In Dennis Liwewe’s voice, MHSRIP].
Knowing that a stalemate is enough to advance to the quarters, the BANKERS could be tempted to do what is known as “packing the bus” in football. This could be a kryptonite as we know, you cannot suck the pressure of the daunting runs for the entirely FIFA regulation time.
RULE NUMBER 3: Not to be a mismatch of what is known as “the typical North African pace”.
Synonymous to any Moghreb [A term referred to North African sides] Wydad Casablanca have got pace, so as their foreign players like William Jebor and Chisom Chikatara.
We know that Zanaco is also not a slow-play side. The like of Seith Sakala, Boyd Musonda and Felex Nyaende will want to make the forward runs. Let them do so.
Before the ink runs out of my blue pen, let me say that, without the individual brilliance, Zanaco look good as a team playing together. The beginning of failure is to look down on them, on the basis that there are no much of big names in their set-up.
Until either handshakes for ZANACO or postmortem, Good bye!
