Raja Casablanca begin CAF Confederation Cup campaign away to El Kanemi Warriors

Raja Casablanca return to continental action on Sunday, 18 October, when they travel to Nigeria to face El Kanemi Warriors in the first leg of the second preliminary round of the CAF Confederation Cup.

The Moroccan side, who are dealing with several injuries, will aim to secure an advantage before the return fixture in Casablanca. The match will be played at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne, Nigeria.

Kick-off is scheduled for 15:00 GMT, which is 16:00 in Morocco and 17:00 in France, according to El Botola.

There has been no official confirmation of a specific broadcaster. beIN Sports MENA is understood to be a possibility, but details of any live coverage from the network have yet to be announced.

Raja Casablanca were given a bye in the first preliminary round and begin their African campaign hoping to reach the group stage of a competition they have won twice, in 2018 and 2021.

However, Spanish manager Paco Jemez will have to manage a squad affected by injuries. Adel Beltaib will miss the trip after suffering an adductor problem, while Ayoub El Amloud is unavailable because of a thigh injury, according to Le360 Sport.

Ghanaian midfielder Michael Agbekpornu is also ruled out. His hamstring injury is expected to keep him out for both legs of the tie. Adam Ennafati remains unavailable, although there is more positive news regarding Ishaq Zidani, who has returned to training.

El Kanemi Warriors reached this stage by beating Union sportive de Guinee-Bissau in the first preliminary round. The Nigerian club will look to make home advantage count against a Raja side with considerably greater experience in continental competition.

Raja Casablanca are unbeaten in their past three league matches. They began that run with a 1-0 victory over Renaissance Zemamra, before drawing 0-0 with Maghreb de Fes and 1-1 with FUS Rabat.

The second leg will take place at the Mohammed-V complex in Casablanca on Friday, 23 October. The winner of the two-legged tie will progress to the group stage of the CAF Confederation Cup.