Cup finalists Setif seek more glory for Algeria

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JOHANNESBURG, Nov 28, 2009 (AFP) - Entente Setif hope to complete a memorable year for Algerian football by building a winning lead over Malian visitors Stade Malien Sunday in the African Confederation Cup final first leg.

The national team qualified for the World Cup this month with a 1-0 play-off victory over bitter rivals Egypt in an Omdurman clash marred by off-field violence that soured relations between the countries.

Midfielder Khaled Lemmouchia, struck by rocks when the Algerian bus was attacked in Cairo ahead of a qualifier won by Egypt to force the extra game, is in the Setif squad.

But Algeria goalkeeper and Omdurman hero Faouzi Chaouchi was not registered for the second-tier African club competition, leaving Mohamed Ferradji to face Stade at the May 8 Stadium in the north-east university town.

Entente expect Ferradji to be largely unemployed as they bid to lay siege to the Malien goalmouth with leading Confederation Cup scorer Abdelmalek Ziaya the greatest threat.

He has scored 13 goals in 14 matches en route to the final of a competition offering a 660,000-dollar first prize, including the brace that ousted Bayelsa United of Nigeria in a tight semi-final.

Despite averaging virtually a goal a game in the African equivalent of the Europa League, Ziaya did not make the national squad for the 2010 World Cup and African Nations Cup qualifiers.

A five-star showing in the final of an African Football Confederation club championship can only boost his chances of a call-up from national coach Rabah Saadane for the Nations Cup tournament during January in Angola.

Winners of the Arab Champions League in 2007 and 2008, Entente have had less success in Africa as it is 21 years since they lifted the African Champions Cup by outclassing Nigerian rivals Iwuanyanwu Nationale 4-1 on aggregate.

However, the long African trophy drought did not prevent the 'Black Eagles' being among the Cup favourites from the kick-off 10 months ago and they won six of seven home games with the sole blip a 3-1 loss to Egyptian outfit ENPPI.

Stade, based in the industrial eastern sector of capital city Bamako, are back in an African final 44 years after losing the first African Champions Cup decider to Oryx Douala of Cameroon in Accra.

They defied considerable odds to get this far and owe much to penalty area predators Bakary Coulibaly and Ousmane Bagayoko, who shared the six goals that sunk ENPPI in the semi-finals.

The Malians boast an impressive away record with only one loss from seven games, ironically in Algeria against JSM Bejaia who they eventually overcame after a marathon 25-goal penalty shootout.

Previous winners of a competition that replaced the African Cup Winners Cup and CAF Cup in 2004 include Hearts of Oak of Ghana, FAR Rabat of Morocco, Etoile Sahel and fellow Tunisians Sfaxien, who won twice in succession.

Apart from the prize money and prestige, whoever emerges victorious will face African Champions League holders Tout Puissant Mazembe of the Democratic Republic of Congo next year for the African Super Cup.