Morocco s Raja Casablanca mission arrived in Cairo on Monday night ahead of their game against Zamalek in the second leg of the African Champions League semifinal scheduled for Wednesday.
The second leg was initially scheduled for 24 October, but the Confederation of African Football (CAF) postponed the game to 1 November after more than a dozen Raja players tested positive for COVID-19, before delaying the game for a second time to 4 November upon the request of Egyptian authorities.
The Moroccan club will be missing their regular goalkeeper Anas Zniti, who has not yet recovered from the virus, as well as left back Abdeljalil Jbira and midfielder Mohamed Douik.
However, Raja manager Jamal Sellami assured that the game s second postponement gave the team a chance to welcome back a large number of players who recovered from COVID-19 and returned to training.
"We also had the chance to recover the players who were absent from the first leg match due to muscular injuries, although the lack of team trainings will affect the players fitness.
"But in such games, it is the team spirit that controls the team. Raja’s players have shown many examples of strong cohesion," Sellami told Moroccan newspaper Al-Mountakhab.
"We will be ready for the game on all levels. It will be a tense encounter and will witness many surprises," he added.
Raja have not played any games since losing the first leg on 18 October, when Zamalek s Moroccan winger Achraf Bencharki headed the winner in the first half in an empty Mohamed V Stadium in Casablanca.
The winner of Wednesday s clash will face Ahly in the final at Alexandria s Borg El-Arab Stadium on 27 November.
