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On the ground since Wednesday after a long journey through Nairobi, Fath Union Sport of Rabat installed themselves at the heart of Lubumbashi, where they will meet Tout Puissant Mazembe, a club which had never lived up to expectations until the last two years when they won a number of important continental titles and played the finals of the World Club Championships against Samuel Eto’o’s Inter Milan.

The Moroccans, unexpected winners of the Orange Confederations Cup are not very settled as they get set to face their Congolese opponents. The opening of the January transfer window has seen the club loose three key players. Houcine Ammouta saw three of his defenders El Khaliki, Abdelfettah Boukriss and Cameroonian Daniel Moncharé. Ammouta confided to journalists « We have reinforced out midfield but they departure of three key defenders may likely cause us problems in that area ». The coach of FUS would have preferred the encounter takes place earlier as the new comers are yet to familiarise themselves with their partners.

In the Congolese camp, the main question is where are all the players, many of whom are being sollicited by both local and international clubs. Before their arrival in Lubumbashi, many of them had a stopover in Egypt where they took part in the inaugural edition of the Nile Basin Football competition. They played four games with their national team- the Leopards. About eleven players, will be in Sudan next week for the 2nd edition of the CHAN, a competition in which they are defending champions.

Since the start of the year 2009, TP Mazembe players have not had time to rest as they have been moving from one competition to the other. Its present crop of players are still intact and the regulars are mostly homegrown talent except for Zambians Given Singuluma and Stoppila Sunzu who have become regulars. The Lubumbashi outfit has some 30 players under contract and they will have to prove their mettle before being given a by coach Lamine N’Diaye in the starting 11. TP Mazembe it should be recalled have been riding on a high since the last two season as they dispatched top clubs of the continent.