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CAF Champions League | Semi-Finals | 1st Leg
Jun 19, 2021 at 8pm UK
Stade Mohamed V
Wydad
0 - 1
Kaizer Chiefs

Preview: Wydad AC vs. Kaizer Chiefs - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Saturday's CAF Champions League clash between Wydad AC and Kaizer Chiefs, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Wydad AC and Kaizer Chiefs lock horns at the Mohamed V Stadium on Saturday in the first leg of their CAF Champions League semi-final.

Each team will be looking to steal a march on the other and take control of the tie ahead of the return fixture on June 26.


Match preview

Wydad AC came out on top in their quarter-final versus MC Alger following a 1-0 second-leg triumph on May 22, which secured a 2-1 victory on aggregate.

Faouzi Benzarti's men were set to progress on away goals with the game tied at 0-0 heading into added time, where Walid El Karti struck a last-gasp winner to seal the deal.

Since then, the Red Castle have gone on a six-game league unbeaten run that has propelled them to the top of the Botola table.

Next up for Saturday's hosts is the visit of a Kaizer Chiefs side who they last faced in the group stages of this year's CAF Champions League.

They claimed a 4-0 win in the first leg on February 28, before suffering a narrow 1-0 defeat in the second leg on April 3.

Kaizer Chiefs fended off the threat of Tanzanian counterparts Simba SC to secure a 4-3 quarter-final triumph on aggregate.

Stuart Baxter's men took a commanding 4-0 lead on May 15 but made life difficult for themselves in the return leg a week later, when they lost 3-0.

The Amakhosi won two of their subsequent three ABSA Premiership fixtures to finish eighth on the log with 36 points from 30 games.

Saturday's visitors are appearing in their first semi-final ever and will hope to make up for a disappointing league season by going all the way.

Wydad AC CAF Champions League form:
  • W
  • D
  • L
  • W
  • D
  • W


Wydad AC form (all competitions):
  • W
  • D
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • D

Kaizer Chiefs CAF Champions League form:
  • W
  • D
  • W
  • D
  • W
  • L

Kaizer Chiefs form (all competitions):
  • D
  • W
  • L
  • L
  • W
  • W



Team News

The hosts have the full complement of their squad to pick from, with no injury or suspension concerns ahead of the game.

Moroccan forward Ayoub El Kaabi leads the way for Wydad in terms of goals, having scored three of their eight in the tournament so far.

Having conceded just twice in eight matches, Faouzi Benzarti is expected to stick with his trusted lieutenants in defence.

Kaizer Chiefs have been dealt multiple injury blows in attack as Lebogang Manyama, Khama Billiat and Dumisani Zuma are all ruled out.

However, the return of veteran goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune after six weeks out of action should provide a huge boost for the visitors.

Wydad AC possible starting lineup:
Tagnaouti; Amloud, Dari, Aboulfath, A. Allah; Jabrane, El Hassouni, Ounajem; El Karti, Ellafi, El Kaabi

Kaizer Chiefs possible starting lineup:
Khune; Cardoso, Mathoho, Ngezana, Zulu; Blom, Katsande, Parker; Castro, Kambole, Nurkovic


SM words green background

We say: Wydad AC 2-1 Kaizer Chiefs

Wydad will fancy themselves to get the better of a relatively inexperienced Kaizer Chiefs side on home turf. While we anticipate a very even contest, we are also backing the hosts to come out on top at the end of the 90 minutes.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting over 1.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Over 1.5:data



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Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Wydad AC win with a probability of 54.36%. A draw had a probability of 23.5% and a win for Kaizer Chiefs had a probability of 22.16%.

The most likely scoreline for a Wydad AC win was 1-0 with a probability of 10.77%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.8%) and 2-0 (9.48%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (11.14%), while for a Kaizer Chiefs win it was 0-1 (6.34%). The actual scoreline of 0-1 was predicted with a 6.3% likelihood.


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Game History

How you voted: Wydad vs Kaizer Chiefs

Wydad AC
50.0%
Draw
14.3%
Kaizer Chiefs
35.7%
28
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