Preview: El-Kanemi Warriors vs Raja Casablanca – Team news, h2h, where to watch

El-Kanemi Warriors vs Raja Casablanca will be under the spotlight this weekend as the Nigerian side looks to get the better of the Moroccan giants in the second preliminary round of the CAF Confederation Cup.

Nnamdi Mejuobi scored twice when El-Kanemi Warriors beat UDIB of Guinea-Bissau 3-1 on aggregate in the first preliminary round of the CAF Confederation Cup. And the forward will aim to carry that form into a considerably bigger test on Sunday, October 18, 2026, when Raja Casablanca arrive in Nigeria for the second preliminary round first leg.

El-Kanemi Warriors are the lone Nigerian representative left in this year’s Confederation Cup field at this stage, and they do it without home comforts in the literal sense. This match has been moved away from their usual Maiduguri base to the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne, Ogun State, a venue El-Kanemi have never called home.

Raja Casablanca arrive as considerable favourites on name alone, but they do so a long way from match-sharp, having been handed a bye straight into this round while El-Kanemi were already two competitive legs into their continental campaign.

Match radar: El-Kanemi Warriors vs Raja Casablanca

Where to watch El-Kanemi Warriors vs Raja Casablanca

CAF Confederation Cup qualifying ties are typically carried across the continent on a mix of pay-TV platforms, with SuperSport holding much of the confederation’s broader regional rights. Nigerian fans should check local listings and CAF’s own channels closer to kickoff for final confirmation.

Afrik-Foot NG will bring you live text commentary of the match.

Form and context for El-Kanemi Warriors vs Raja Casablanca

El-Kanemi Warriors go into this leg on the back of a difficult sequence. They were relegated from the Nigerian top-flight after finishing the 2025-26 Nigeria Premier Football League season 18th of 20 clubs. The team registered 13 wins, eight draws and 17 losses from 38 games, with a goal difference of minus 17 that confirmed their relegation.

Despite their league woes, the Maiduguri-based club, however, won the 2026 Nigeria FA Cup after beating Ikorodu City in the final to seal this continental ticket.

With the Nigeria second-tier division still on break, El-Kanemi Warriors have not had any competitive action this season save the two-legged UDIB tie; a 3-0 home win followed by a 1-0 away defeat.

Raja Casablanca’s recent form reads very differently. Their last five matches have produced three wins, two draws and no defeats, with six goals scored and only one conceded, including four clean sheets in that span.

Two of those results, a 1-1 draw at FUS Rabat and a 0-0 draw at MAS Fès, came away from home in the last ten days, while home wins over Renaissance Zemamra and Hassania Agadir underline a side that is difficult to break down.

Raja’s Botola Pro table position, fifth of 16 after just two games, reflects an early-season snapshot rather than a settled picture, but the underlying defensive numbers back up a club that have not lost since early July.

Head-to-head: El-Kanemi Warriors vs Raja Casablanca

There is no history to lean on here. This will be the first competitive meeting between El-Kanemi Warriors and Raja Casablanca.

Both clubs reached this stage by different routes: El-Kanemi beat UDIB of Guinea-Bissau 3-1 on aggregate in the first preliminary round, with Mejuobi’s double in the home leg settling the tie before a single-goal defeat in the away leg.

Meanwwhile, Raja Casablanca, like fellow Moroccan side AS FAR, were exempted from that opening round altogether and arrive at this fixture without a single competitive continental minute played this season.

Team news and predicted XI for El-Kanemi Warriors vs Raja Casablanca

No injury or suspension concerns have been reported for El-Kanemi Warriors ahead of this leg, and Emmanuel King, the technical adviser, is expected to select from a fully available group built around Mejuobi’s continental pedigree.

Raja Casablanca will be without Younes Bakiz, the Danish-born attacking midfielder on loan from Silkeborg, sidelined with an injury since early October with no return date set.

El-Kanemi Warriors vs Raja Casablanca: Star player comparison

Mejuobi’s two goals in the previous round outstrip anything Othmane Chraibi has managed in a Botola Pro season that is only two matches old. Although, the Raja midfielder’s solitary goal this term still makes him his club’s top scorer so far.

El-Kanemi Warriors vs Raja Casablanca: The managers

Former Awk United boss Emmanuel King has overseen El-Kanemi’s preparations as technical adviser through the UDIB tie and into this leg. The astute tactician has spoken directly to the squad’s welfare and continental ambitions in the build-up.

Paco Jémez, the 56-year-old Spaniard, took charge of Raja Casablanca at the end of August, replacing Nasreddine Nabi. He arrives at this fixture with just over six weeks in the job and no competitive continental match yet under his new regime.

El-Kanemi Warriors vs Raja Casablanca: Tactical preview

Jémez has set Raja Casablanca up defensively solid rather than expansive since his appointment, built on a settled back four and a midfield that presses in numbers. The one conceded goal in five matches shows the method is working against Botola Pro opposition.

El-Kanemi scored three times and conceded once over two legs in the first round of this competition. They showed a lack of organisation away from their own ground last season and have already lost their only fixture away from home this term. It is a pattern the unfamiliar artificial surface at Remo Stars Stadium is unlikely to ease.

The hosts’ best route into the tie is through Mejuobi’s movement in behind a Raja back line that has not been tested by continental pace this season. But keeping the scoreline respectable, rather than chasing a result outright, looks the more realistic first-leg aim for Emmanuel King’s side.

El-Kanemi Warriors vs Raja Casablanca: Score prediction