Benhashem: "First Match After Two-Month Absence Will Be Difficult, But We Aim for a Positive Result"

Wydad AC coach Amine Benhashem affirmed his team's readiness to achieve a positive result against DR Congo's Maniema, in their CAF Champions League group stage Matchday 3 encounter.

During the pre-match press conference, Benhashem stated: "After a long absence of two months, we are returning to competition. Our last match was on November 28 in Azam, and today is January 25, marking a full two months."

He added that preparations for the match went through several stages. The players first had a rest period, followed by a physical conditioning phase, and then a final stage that included friendly matches and tactical work, before entering the last week dedicated to final preparations for the Maniema clash.

Benhashem highlighted the difficulty of the encounter, saying: "The match will not be easy. There's an important fact: after November 28, we stopped competing, while Maniema played nine official matches. They won four, drew four, and suffered only one defeat against the league leaders, which put them in third place."

Regarding how they plan to tackle this challenge, Benhashem stated: "We will strive to overcome this by relying on our players' experience and the support of the fans, whom we expect to attend and back us as we return to competition. The first match after a two-month absence is very difficult, but we hope that the preparations and program we have put in place will enable us to achieve a positive result."