Espérance de Tunis intensifies preparations for their matches against Al-Suwaihly of Libya in the second preliminary round of the CAF Champions League for the 2026-2027 season, with aspirations to continue their continental journey and compete for their fifth title in history.
Espérance will visit Al-Suwaihli next Sunday at Misrata Stadium for the first leg, before hosting the Libyan team on Saturday, October 24, at Hamadi Agrebi Stadium in Rades for the return leg.
The Blood and Gold team enters the two matches with the ambition of adding a new title to their continental record, having previously won the CAF Champions League in 1994, 2011, 2018, and 2019.
Espérance Sportive de Tunis took advantage of the international break during September and October to play three friendly matches, achieving positive results. They defeated Al-Olympi Al-Libi 4-0, overcame Al-Ittihad Al-Askari Al-Libi 3-1, and won against Ittihad Bousalem 5-0.
The team continued its good results in official competitions, defeating Olympique Béja 3-1 in the fifth round of the Tunisian league, regaining the top spot in the competition, indicating an improvement in its level ahead of the continental challenge.
Several players from Espérance have regained their physical readiness after struggling with a lack of preparation at the start of the season, which gives the coaching staff wider options ahead of the match against Al-Suwaihli.
Esperance are set to play the first leg with a nearly complete squad, missing only Mohamed Ben Ali and Marwan Al-Sahrawi due to injury. The former is suffering from muscular issues, while the latter has suffered a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee.
Spanish coach Pablo Franco is set to rely on the same attacking lineup he used against Olympique Béja, as he is pleased with the level the team displayed during the last match.
Espérance rely on a wealth of options in various positions, thanks to the reinforcements they made during the summer transfer window, in order to achieve a positive result in Libya, before securing qualification to the group stage in front of their fans in Rades.
