Nairobi United out to seal CAF group stage place in Tunisia showdown
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Reading Time: 3min | Sun. 26.10.25. | 08:20
Beyond qualification to the group stage, the winner will also pocket $400,000 (approximately Ksh 51.6 million).
Reigning Mozzart Bet Cup champions Nairobi United take on Tunisian side Étoile Sportive du Sahel (ESS) with everything to fight for including tens of millions.
The two sides face off in the second leg of the second and final CAF Confederation Cup (CAF CC) preliminary round today, Sunday 26 October, at the Stade Olympique de Sousse from 2000 hrs. The winner will advance to the lucrative CAF CC group stage.
Nairobi United, fondly known as Naibois, head into the match buoyed by a 2-0 first-leg victory courtesy of goals on either side of halftime from Ovella Ochieng and John Otieno.
Several permutations favour the FKF Premier League newcomers in their quest to qualify for the next stage. A win, a draw, a loss by not more than one goal, or even a two-goal defeat in which they score will be enough to guarantee their progress.
For CAF CC assignments, Naibois Technical Director Ali Salim has been serving as the head coach since Nicholas Muyoti lacks a CAF A Licence, which is a prerequisite set by CAF for both head coach and assistant coach roles in continental competitions.
Speaking through the club’s media team, Salim shared his thoughts on the team’s preparations and expectations ahead of the encounter.
“I believe that with the time we have had, we have prepared well. It will be a difficult and very hostile outing for us because the home fans are very rowdy, but at the end of the day we have to work throughout the 90 minutes and keep our players highly focused and alert because of the fans,” said Salim.
The former Mathare United tactician also revealed Naibois’ approach to the game.
“We are not focusing on the first-leg result. We are just going out there to battle without thinking of the advantage. I believe we will score a goal as the whole team is determined to make Kenya proud, and I am confident we will do that,” he added.
ESS on the other hand will be eager to overturn their poor start to the season that has left them 12th in the Tunisian top-flight after 10 rounds of matches.
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The Tunisian giants face an uphill task to recover from the first-leg loss and will rely heavily on their passionate home support to inspire a comeback.
Harambee Stars defender Alphonce Omija, who plays for the 2023 Tunisian league champions, shared what Naibois should expect.
“The stadiums here are always full, and the fans are very passionate. They even travelled and turned up to watch our training on Saturday. The atmosphere for Nairobi United is going to be different, not what they are used to,” said Omija after the first leg.
Beyond qualification to the group stage, the winner will also pocket $400,000 (approximately Ksh 51.6 million).
