- The Nairobi United vs Wydad match will be staged at the MISC Kasarani on Sunday from 4 PM.
- Nairobi United have lost all four of their group stage matches in their debut 25/26 CAF Confederation Cup.
- Wydad Athletic Club, on the other hand, arrive in Nairobi with qualification firmly within reach.
Nairobi United will be hoping to restore some pride and claim at least their first continental point when they host Moroccan giants Wydad Athletic Club at Kasarani Stadium on Sunday afternoon in a 25/26 CAF Confederation Cup Group Stage encounter scheduled for 4PM.
The Kenyan side heads into the fixture searching for revenge after a difficult campaign in the competition so far.
They are yet to register a point in the group stage having suffered four defeats. Their struggles began with a 3-0 loss away to Wydad Athletic Club in the group opener before a narrow 1-0 defeat to AS Maniema Union at Kasarani Stadium .
They then succumbed to 2-1 defeat to Azam FC at Nyayo Stadium before losing 1-0 in the return leg at Zanzibar’s New Amaan Stadium last weekend, a result that confirmed they would not proceed past the group stage.
Nairobi United vs Wydad preview
This weekend’s clash marks the second meeting between Nairobi United and Wydad Athletic Club. In the reverse fixture in Morocco, Ayoub Boucheta, Mohamed Bouchouari and Mohamed Rayhi scored to hand Wydad a comfortable 3-0 win.
Nairobi United’s misery was compounded deep into stoppage time when midfielder Brian Omondi was shown a red card in the 90+5 minute.
Form has also been a concern for the Nairobi-based club, who come into the match on the back of three consecutive defeats across all competitions.
In addition to their CAF Confederations Cup losses to Azam FC, they were beaten 2-1 by APS Bomet FC in the SportPesa League.
Wydad Athletic Club, on the other hand, arrive in Nairobi with qualification firmly within reach.
The Moroccan heavyweights opened their group campaign with a dominant win over Nairobi United, followed by a 1-0 away victory against Azam FC and a 1-0 home win over AS Maniema Union.
However, they suffered their first setback of the group stage, losing 2-1 away to Maniema Union in the Democratic Republic of Congo. A win in Nairobi would see Wydad seal qualification to the quarterfinals with a game to spare.
Nairobi United will be without several key players. Ovella Ochieng’, Michael Karamor, and Prince Buregeya are all sidelined through injury while new signing Kevin Wangaya missed out after failing to be registered in time for the competition.
Wydad will also be missing influential midfielder Thembinkosi Lorch, who recently completed a move to Libyan giants Al Ittihad, alongside former Young Africans midfielder Stephane Aziz Ki.
Despite those departures, the visitors have been boosted by the arrival of high-profile signings Hakim Ziyech and Wissam Ben Yedder during the mid-season transfer window.
Nairobi United head coach Salim Ali remains optimistic despite his side’s struggles.
“For the match against Wydad Athletic Club, we want to have an honorable ending at home,” Ali said.
“In the first leg, we had a goal disallowed and a penalty not given. If we play the same way here at home, we can get something. We want maximum points, we want to surprise people, and we want to decide who goes through,” he noted.
Wydad Athletic Club head coach Mohammed Amine, however, insists his side’s focus is clear.
“Nairobi United are a good side, but our focus is to finish on top of this group,” he said. “To do that, we have to win this match.”
As both sides chase contrasting objectives, Kasarani Stadium is set to host a tense and intriguing contest.
