Held in check on May 14 in Algiers by Wydad Casablanca (1-1), Mouloudia d’Alger is not necessarily in a favorable waiver before the return match on Saturday. But Nabil Neghiz (53), the coach of the Greens and Reds, knows his team capable of achieving a performance in Morocco.

From our correspondent in France,

Does the draw conceded in Algiers leave you with a bitter taste?

We would have preferred to win 1-0, or draw 0-0 , a more favorable result than 1-1. But this score is relatively logical. Each team had its half, Wydad the first, us the second. We had several absentees, which will still be the case for the second leg, although we will have some comebacks. Above all, we managed to equalize, which gives us all our chances.

Wydad, impressive at home during the group stage (3 wins), is legitimately considered as the favorite of this quarter-final return…

Of course. It is one of the best teams in Africa. She won the Champions League in 2017, was a finalist in 2019, semi-finalist last year. She will be playing at home, where she is very difficult to beat. But we also have arguments. During the group stage, we managed to achieve very good results away from home, against Zamalek (0-0), Esperance Tunis (1-1) and Teungueth (1-0) . Either way, we know we’ll have to score at least one goal.

Do you expect a closed game?

No. As I told you, we will have to attack, to score. And from Wydad, a team that play attacking football, I don’t expect a cautious attitude. The Moroccans will undoubtedly want to score quickly, to put pressure on us. We will need to know how to manage our weak moments, and take advantage of our strong moments. In my opinion, it will be very open.

“Go as far as possible”

After the first leg, the Wydadis were very much poured out on the refereeing of the Ethiopian Bamlak Weyesa …

Yes, they talked about this denied goal. But we could also have benefited from a penalty in the first period… At this stage of the competition, it is not uncommon for the big African clubs to put a little pressure on CAF, on the referees. Personally, I prefer to focus on the game.

Whatever happens on Saturday, will MC Algiers’ journey in the Champions League be a success?

We eliminated Sfax in the preliminary round (2-0, 0-1), we beat Zamalek in the group stage. Yes, I can say that our course is satisfactory. Our goal, before the start of this Champions League, was to go as far as possible. We are in the quarter-finals, I know it can end on Saturday, that it can also continue. We want to continue, to honor this club, its extraordinary supporters, and Algerian football.

You returned to Mouloudia last April, two and a half months after leaving …

I had been sacked because I had made statements that targeted the former administration of the club, as we were going through a somewhat difficult time. I came back because there was a taste of unfinished business. I arrived in February 2020, we had worked well by qualifying for the Champions League. When I was offered to return, I was given a guarantee that a new administration would be there. Which was the case. I was very happy to find the players, the supporters. I signed an 18-month contract , and I hope that we will have some more good things to do.