A tough test awaits Rwandan outfit Police FC who will visit Algerian side CS Constantine on August 16 in the first leg of the 2024/25 CAF Confederation Cup.
The return leg will take place in Kigali on August 23, with a ticket to the second round of the competition at stake.
The pair aren’t familiar with continental competitions with Police FC making only the second appearance while it will be CS Constantine’s third time in the competition.
Times Sport delves into the Algerian side’s history and their experience in CAF competitions amongst others.
History
Club Sporting Constantinois, also known as CS Constantine, is the oldest football club in Algeria and Africa as a whole. Established in 1898, the club is 126 years old.
The club is based in the ancient Algerian city of Constantine and their traditional colors are green and black. They have an eagle in their badge as their symbol.
CS Constantine has two international stadiums in which they play their home games. The 22,968 capacity Chahid Hamlaoui Stadium as well as the Ramadane Ben Abdelmalek Stadium.
The club was named Iqbal Association when it was formed. It was later changed to Chabab Mecanique de Constantine from 1977 to 1987. The new name has been in existence since 1988.
Ownership
CS Constantine is owned by Algerian petroleum company Enterprise National des Travaux Puits (ENTP). The president of the club is Tarek Arama and the club's nickname is CSC, The Smurfs or The Dean.
Head Coach
Veteran Abdelkadir Amrani is the head coach of CS Constantine. The 68-year-old tactician is a household name in Algeria with a coaching career spanning 31 years already. He has previously handled ES Sportif, MC Algiers, CR Belouizdad and a host of other teams. This is his third spell with CS Constantine having previously handled them from 2016-2018 and from 2020-21.
He finished third in the 2023/24 Algerian top tier league with 53 points, 12 points behind champions MC Alger.
Performance in CAF Competitions
Despite being established over a century ago, CS Constantine's impact on CAF competitions has been very minimal. This is going to be their fifth campaign on the continental stage. They have already played in the CAF Champions League in 1998 where they were bundled out in the first round and also in the 2018/2019 edition where they reached the quarter-finals.
For the CAF Confederation Cup, they reached the second round in 2014 and 2016 where they were eliminated by ASEC Mimosa and Misr El Makkasa of Egypt respectively. This is going to be their third appearance in the competition.
Domestic titles
CS Constantine have won eight major trophies in their 126-year history. They have won the Algerian Ligue 1 twice (1996-1997 and 2017-18) and the Ligue 2 trophy six times namely 1969-70, 1976-77, 1985-86, 1993-94, 2003-24, and 2010-11.
ALSO READ: Police FC face formidable test on return to CAF Confederation cup
Key Players
Brahim Dib
The 31-year-old attacking midfielder was CS Constantine top scorer last season, netting 12 goals.
Out of the 12 goals of which nine were from the penalty spot. Dib is a flamboyant attacking player who can both create and score goals. He has been at CS Constantine since 2020 and knows the terrain well.
Mounder Temine
Temine, 22, was groomed at the CS Constantine Academy. He was promoted to the senior side from the U21 team in July 2020 at the age of 18.
In a span of four seasons, the centre forward has played 58 games in all competitions scoring 8 goals and providing 4 assists. The 2023/24 season was his best ever when he netted 6 goals and provided 1 assist in 25 games.
CS Constantine may look depleted in attack
The club lost Ahmed Khaldi who scored 6 goals last season to Kuwaiti side Al Arabi on a free transfer. They have, however, brought in Nigerian striker Tosin Omoyele from USM Khenchela. The striker netted 9 goals in 28 league games in the 2023/24 season.
CS Constantine may look depleted in attack, with Omoyele needing some time to adapt and the Police encounter might come too early for him to show his full potential.
Strengths and loopholes?
CS Constantine has an unimpressive defensive record and that is one of their problems. They scored 46 goals last season and conceded 30. Most of the goals they conceded were through defensive errors.
On their strength, they are not a one-man team, they play as a unit and that has kept them going. They cover each other and anyone can score.