Ivorian side ASEC ready to make waves in TotalEnergies CAF Champions League
- ASEC aim for further advance Ivorian football success
- Ivorian side to face Etoile in quarterfinals
- Seventh encounter between the two teams
The hopes of an Ivorian double in the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations and TotalEnergies CAF Champions League now rest on ASEC Mimosas.
The Abidjan-based team finished their group stage campaign in first place with 11 points, surpassing Simba SC and Wydad AC, the finalists of the last edition.
Having clinched victory in 1998, the Shareholders reunite with an old acquaintance, Étoile Sportive de Tunis, in the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League.
This marks their sixth encounter in this prestigious competition. So far, ASEC has secured 3 wins against Étoile de Tunis's 1, with 1 draw.
Their seventh showdown is scheduled for March 30 for the first leg and April 6 for the return leg.
Formation
ASEC Mimosas was established in 1948 by a group of employees and civil servants from Ivory Coast, Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Senegal, Togo, Lebanon, and France.
Achievements
ASEC Mimosas boasts 29 Ivorian league titles, 22 national cups, and 16 Ivorian Super Cups. Notably, the Ivorians clinched the CAF TotalEnergies Champions League in 1998.
Continental Journey
The year 1998 marked the pinnacle for ASEC. The Ivorians followed up with victory in the CAF TotalEnergies Super Cup in 1999.
Coach: Julien Chevalier
The Frenchman has grown with his team. Responsible for recruitment and training at the MimoSifcom / ASEC Mimosas Academy from 2011 to 2017, Chevalier was appointed head coach of the A team in 2019 after a stint in Togo as an assistant coach.
Key player: Salifou Diarrassouba
Diarrassouba is a fast, talented winger with impressive dribbling skills, vision, and explosive speed and acceleration. He can play on both flanks or even centrally as an attacking midfielder or forward. Though naturally right-footed, his preferred position is on the left, allowing him to outmaneuver opponents one-on-one, cut inside onto his right foot, and either shoot, create chances for teammates, or make offensive runs into the box.