ASO Chlef – Étoile du Sahel Preview
By: Houssem |
2 Comments
Yay, the internationals are over, we can all go on with our club supporter’s lives now. I am thrilled after Tunisia got the most of this first matchday in the Africa Qualifiers, and especially because our very own Ammar Jemal got his name on the score sheet with the goal that gave Tunisia the lead in the 5th minute against Kenya. Mathlouthi didn’t take part in this win, but it’s good to see him back and still part of Coelho’s plans.
Next Friday will be the first of a series of crucial fixtures to end the season. After winning 2-1 in Sousse against ASO Chlef, we now travel to Algeria for the tricky return leg. Having conceded an away goal, it is not easy to predict how Gernot Rohr will deal with this game. Will he try to manage the result and rely on set pieces and counter-attacks, or will he try to get an early lead that will let his boys play less nervously ?
One way or another, he can rely on a complete squad. Mehdi Ben Dhifallah will miss due to an injury, but Emeka is fit again and could play a role in this fixture.
In other news, Ammar Jemal’s 4 match ban has been maintained by the FTF after the first appeal. Étoile can now take the case to the CNAS (which they will probably do) or just leave it and face the fact that we’ll have to win this title without him.
Will Étoile qualify to the next round of the CAF Champions League
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Category: Étoile du Sahel Team News
Ammar Jemal gets 4-match ban.
By: Houssem | 2 Comments
The decision on Ammar Jemal’s gesture towards the Jendouba crowd after our crucial 1-0 away win fell today. He will serve a 4-match ban in domestic competitions (Ligue 1 and Coupe de Tunisie), which makes him unavailable until the final clash of the league against Espérance. His services as a rock-solid defender and prolific goal scorer (or penalty specialst, it’s up to you, but he scored 9 goals for us this season) will be missed. Of course he’s decided to hand in an appeal request against this decision, and we can only hope they reduce his sentence to the minimum of two games. I’m not trying to be apologetic, but according to this interview he gave Jawhara FM, he was recklessly provoked and couldn’t control himself in the end. There are definitely things going on that don’t belong in a football stadium, and the FTF should put more effort into this instead of always putting the blame on the players.
Category: Étoile du Sahel Team NewsÉtoile 2 – 1 ASO Chlef
By: Houssem | 1 Comment
Pheeew ! I think we avoided the worst last Saturday by scoring two amazing free kicks against a very tenacious ASO Chlef side. I had underestimated them, and they showed a very physical game, stood perfectly well in defence and disrupted our already diminished attack – Ziadi will miss the first part of the competition because then-interim-manager Hervé Gauthier didn’t bother to include him and Manga on the 25-player list. Highlights after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »
Category: Étoile du Sahel Team NewsÉtoile du Sahel vs. ASO Chlef Live Blog
By: Houssem | 1 Comment
Category: Étoile du Sahel Team NewsÉtoile du Sahel v. ASO Chlef Preview
By: Houssem | 2 Comments
This weekend will be a break from the league drama we’ve been enjoying lately, with the long awaited return to the only international competition that matters : the CAF Champions League. Étoile will host ASO Chlef, the 6th algerian side to face us in the CL. Our home record against our neighbors shows a 100% winning rate at home, so I’m not too worried about this one. The second leg should be harder though.
ASO Chlef are currently 6th of their league, 8 points behind leaders ES Setif with 10 games to go. They never made it past the round of 16 in this competition, and rely mostly on algerian players (only 3 foreigners in their current roster). Experience is definitely on our side. Read the rest of this entry »
Category: Étoile du Sahel Team NewsCS Hammam-Lif Kicks It Up A Notch
By: Houssem | 3 Comments
It was an exciting matchday for both Étoile and Espérance fans, as the Sang & Or went back on top and Club Africain’s 3-1 defeat against Hammam-Lif allowed us to claim the second spot, only one point behind EST (full table here).
I really wouldn’t have thought we’d still have a three-horse race with only four games to go. The decade of EST domination got us used to a dull league, but the thrill of the last couple of years definitely makes up for the lacking quality of play. Read the rest of this entry »
Category: Étoile du Sahel Team NewsJendouba Sports v. Étoile du Sahel Highlights And Some Ranting
By: Houssem | 3 Comments
I finally got my hands on the Hannibal TV highlights. HTV made it their event of the day after Tunis 7 didn’t broadcast the game after initially having it on the program. Apparently, the transmission van didn’t make it to Jendouba. Seriously ? I don’t think it’s suitable for a public TV network that feeds on government money, gets a share on every electrical bill and plagues us with ads before and during every interesting broadcast (= football games and Dimanche Sport). I’m sure Mr. Ganzoui and his mates will have a funny excuse for us tonight. I’m almost glad that Cactus Prod bought the rights to Dimanche Sport starting from next season. Moez Ben Gharbia (ex HTV) will be in charge, and that will certainly bring some positive change. Read the rest of this entry »
Category: Étoile du Sahel Team NewsJendouba Sports v. Étoile SS Short Preview
By: Houssem | 7 Comments
Rain, strong winds, and a pitch you would hardly consider for a third league rugby game. It’s with a due sense of dread that I’m awaiting the 3 pm kick-off in Jendouba for what’s probably going to be the hardest away game of the season. The only positive aspect is that we play 2 days before both Espérance and Club Africain, a win would maintain some pressure on them.
Here’s the probable starting XI :
Bouderbala
Abdennour — Felhi — Jemal — Meriah
Nafkha
Everson — Toniche
Bukari — Ziadi — Ben Dhifallah
Subs : Baaboura, Manga, Bejaoui, Mendoza, Mabrouk, Mosrati, Raddaoui, Akaichi
I definitely like the sound of this. Three men up front, with different qualities : Bukari is strong and can cover a large area, Ben Dhifallah will probably win most of the high balls, and Ziadi has speed and a good goalscorer’s sixth sense. If we are to win this one, we have to get as many set pieces as possible, Ben Dhifallah and the centre backs will get the job done. As usual : Tunis 7, 3 pm CET.
Category: Match PreviewsESHS 0 – 1 ESS : Now we can relax and enjoy that Tunis derby …
By: Houssem | 4 Comments
… and hope it will end goalless, with a lot of red cards and injuries on both sides. But seriously, the title run is all but over, and Étoile is looking like a decent contender again, although the remaining fixtures won’t be a walk in the park : a trip to relegation candidates Jendouba Sports, Stade Tunisien at home, Club Sfaxien away (with a due taste of revenge), Hammam-Lif at home (they gave Espérance a hard time a week ago, and won’t hold back against us), and of course, the cherry on top of the whip cream on your Ligue 1 sundae : Espérance in Tunis, which should be a legendary game if one of us is still in the race by then.
Category: Match ReviewsES Hammam-Sousse v. Étoile SS Preview
By: Houssem | 2 Comments
We’re a few minutes away from kick-off at the Ben Jannet stadium in Monastir, and only a few dozen fans have made it there so far according to Jawhara FM. The blame can of course only be put on the LNFP who made two neighboring teams travel to another town for a normal league game, and ruined a derby.
Category: Étoile du Sahel Team News
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