The Sahel Meets the Far East

“Pachuca of Mexico can go far, so too can the Tunisians Etoile. They eliminated Al Ahly, who themselves went close to making last year’s final and managed to clinch third place” Carlo Ancelotti

So apparently Ancelotti thinks Etoile has what it takes to do some damage in Japan during the Club World Cup that starts this weekend. Using Al Ahly as a measuring stick kinda rubs me the wrong way but he is right. The Egyptians had a good run in last year’s tournament and defended their colors with pride on the world stage. I’ve seen Pachuca play this season and I can say that Etoile should be able to take them if they play up to the level we’ve come to expect from them both in the domestic league and in African competitions.

Motivation will not be a problem. That much is clear from the following videos that follows their training camp in South Korea in preparation for the main event. Etoile beat Korean champions (who are currently second in the table), Hyundai by the score of 3-0. Looks like they’re not having too much trouble acclimating to the new weather conditions, time zone, and food. They look in fine form and they got to test every single player that came along for the ride. Plenty of options for Marchand. Sunday can’t come fast enough!

Worth noting is Chermiti’s discussion with Balbouli at the airport. He starts cracking up while talking about the biting incident with the Club Africain defender. I can’t get enough of this guy. I’ve heard rumors that Ahly were trying to nab him, Nafkha, and Ben Fraj either this winter or next year. I’m sure they already know it but they have some competition. It’s hard to imagine Chermiti or anyone else from ESS playing on Al Ahly, it just wouldn’t seem right. Then again that’s how a lot of people felt about Boujelbene when he left…

This Sunday’s Dimanche Sport is available thanks to the ever reliable Beurkman. It starts out with these segments and then moves into the matches that took place in Tunisia this weekend.