Ever since taking over the first team duties, Tunisian national team coach Sami Trabelsi has displayed an affinity towards domestic league players that is proving worthwhile. The former Club Sportif Sfaxien defender won the 2011 African Championship of Nations (Chan) with his local boys and seems determined to build the senior side around the youngsters that were victorious in Sudan.
Gone are the days when Tunisian bench-warmers in Europe would be picked ahead of those performing consistently in the north African country. From the early looks of things, Trabelsi is seeking to emulate Hassan Shehata’s successful strategy of relying almost exclusively on hungry home based players that are easier to gather for training camps.
This isn’t to say that foreign-based stars won’t get their shot with the Carthage Eagles. All it means is that Trabelsi has been more selective and scrutinizing with whom he picks from abroad than his predecessors were.
The Chad game will be the coach’s first match in 2012 African Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifying and it is his job to clean up the mess in which Bertrand Marchand and the previous iterations of the Carthage Eagles have left the current flock.
Tunisia lost home and away to first time qualifiers Botswana, dropped a two-goal lead to Malawi in Rades, and could only muster wins against Togo and Chad. They are currently in third place behind the Zebras and the Flames, making a win against the Sao practically mandatory if they want to keep their Afcon dream alive.
The Sao have a long way to go
Sherif El-Khashab’s team have shown their limitations in qualifying, only managing to collect two points after six matches played. The low-point of the campaign was certainly the 6-2 away defeat to Malawi, but a 3-1 home loss to their next opponent, Tunisia, was hardly an improvement.
A physically imposing and aggressive team, Chad are now essentially in damage control mode and one expects that they’ll play to avoid another heavy away loss.
Despite not being in contention for a place in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, the Sao will nonetheless play a critical role in helping decide who claims the second qualifying spot in group K, given that they face both hopefuls (Malawi and Tunisia) once each before all is said and done.
No one expects a great deal from the minnows, but on their day they could prove a tough nut to crack for their remaining opponents.
TEAM NEWS
Tunisia
Both Fahid Ben Khalfallah and Karim Haggui are two of the first casualties of Trabelsi’s new selection policy. Both disappointed in a friendly loss to Oman and the coach has decided to send a message that a lack of commitment and motivation will no longer be tolerated. Meanwhile, Youssef Msekni has been left at the disposal of the Tunisian Olympic team while his older brother, Iheb Msekni, received his first call-up and filled in at his position.
Probable starting XI:
Aymen Mathlouthi; Walid Hichri, Aymen Abdennour, Khalil Chammam, Sameh Derbali; Khaled Korbi, Majdi Traoui, Ousemma Darragi, Iheb Msekni; Lamjed Chehoudi, Sami Allagui
Chad
The Sao’s main weapon is surely Ezechiel Ndouassel who happens to ply his trade in Tunisia with Club Africain. Ndouassel has adapted well to his new surroundings and is scoring important goals for the “Biancorosso.” Will this familiarity help him find the target in Sousse on Sunday?
Probable starting XI:
Armel Koulara; Sitamadji Allarassem, Mondésir Alladjim, Maigue Abbas, Armand Djérabé; Azrack Mahamat, Marius Mbaiam, Hilaire Kédigui, Leger Djime; Ezechiel Ndouassel, Karl Max Barthelemy.
PREDICTION
Despite playing with a largely experimental side, Tunisia recently downed the Central African Republic (CAR) 3-0 at home. Given the similarities in playing style between CAR and Chad, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Tunisia repeat the feat on Sunday.
Tunisia 3-0 Chad
