MC El Eulma Eye Positive Result in Ethiopia After Narrow First-Leg Lead
MC El Eulma will travel to Ethiopia this weekend for the second leg of their CAF Champions League preliminary round clash against St. Georges, with the Algerians holding a slender 1-0 advantage from the first leg. However, coach Azzedine Aït Djoudi is aware that securing qualification will be far from straightforward.
While a 1-0 home win gives MC El Eulma an edge, Aït Djoudi would have preferred a larger margin to make the second leg more comfortable. The team will now need to secure a positive result in Addis Ababa to progress to the next round.
“We expect to suffer a lot in Ethiopia where the climate is harsh,” Aït Djoudi explained to Le Temps d’Algérie. “But what do you want us to do? That’s Africa. We just have to deal with it. A one-goal victory is not enough. We will have to score at least one goal in Ethiopia to make things easier.”
The Algerian side is set to face a difficult challenge, with the match scheduled to be played at altitude—a factor that could hinder MC El Eulma, who are not accustomed to such conditions. Despite the challenges, Aït Djoudi remains optimistic about his team’s chances.
“We’ll play as we usually do, with a little more caution,” he said. “We mustn’t forget that we’ll be facing an opponent who is far from being easily beatable. They’re a well-organized team that plays good football. But I still remain optimistic about qualifying.”
Aït Djoudi added that MC El Eulma’s goal is to progress as far as possible in the competition. “Our goal is to go as far as possible in this competition. We’ll do everything we can to honor Algerian football by reaching, perhaps, the group stage.”
