Raja Casablanca vs El Kanemi Warriors preview, team news, h2h: Oyewusi advantage for hosts

There is everything to play for when Raja Casablanca vs El Kanemi Warriors takes centre-stage as the Moroccan giants and the Nigerian underdog fight for a place in the group stage of the CAF Confederation Cup.

Mathias Oyewusi, the Nigerian forward at Raja Casablanca, scored in the 61st minute at Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne to put the Moroccan club ahead against a team from his own country.

El Kanemi Warriors equalised in the 82nd minute, which leaves the CAF Confederation Cup second preliminary round tie level at 2-2 before Friday’s Raja Casablanca vs El Kanemi Warriors second leg, with kickoff at 20:00 Nigeria time on Friday.

Away goals count in this tie, so Raja, who scored twice in Ikenne, go through on a goalless draw or a 1-1 draw, while El Kanemi must win, or draw with at least three goals each, to reach the group stage.

Raja Casablanca vs El Kanemi Warriors: Match radar

⚽ Raja Casablanca vs El Kanemi Warriors
Competition	CAF Confederation Cup, second preliminary round, second leg
Kickoff	Friday, October 23, 2026, 20:00 (Nigeria time)
Venue	Complexe Sportif Mohammed V, Casablanca
🇳🇬 Oyewusi scored and set up a goal in Ikenne, and Raja hold the away-goals advantage.

Form and context: Raja Casablanca vs El Kanemi Warriors

Raja are unbeaten in their last five matches, with two wins and three draws, and their last three away games all ended level: 0-0 at MAS Fès, 1-1 at FUS Rabat and the draw in Ikenne.

Their most recent win was a 1-0 home victory over RC Zemamra on October 3, and Moroccan reports said supporters were already unhappy with the coach’s satisfaction after the goalless draw at Fès.

The first leg was also Raja’s first continental match of the season, because they received a bye in the opening preliminary round.

Raja won the Confederation Cup in 2018 and 2021, so a group-stage place is a modest target for a club of that record, and most of the pressure in Casablanca sits with the hosts.

El Kanemi played no competitive match between May 24 and September 6, then beat UDIB of Guinea-Bissau 3-0 at home and lost the return leg by a single goal, which still carried them through 3-1 on aggregate.

Friday under the lights ⏳💚 pic.twitter.com/oCEFghkjBz

— Raja Club Athletic (@RCAofficiel) October 20, 2026

Both of their away matches in the last five ended in defeat without a goal, at UDIB and by three goals at Enyimba.

The Nigerian FA Cup winners finished 18th in the Nigeria Premier Football League and were relegated despite recording 13 wins, so this continental run is their main objective for the season.

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

The two clubs had never met before October 18, so the first leg is the only head-to-head on record.

El Kanemi staged that match at Remo Stars Stadium after moving it away from their home city of Maiduguri, a ground they had not used before.

El Kanemi scored after six minutes, Mohammad Abu Zrayq equalised in the 23rd minute from an Oyewusi assist, and Oyewusi made it 2-1 after a defensive lapse left him with an empty net.

Nnamdi Mejuobi levelled in the 82nd minute, and Raja ended the match with 10 men after Ishak Zidani was sent off late on.

Raja’s disciplinary position matters for this match, because a reported two-match continental ban for Zidani is under appeal and his availability has not been settled.

Raja Casablanca vs El Kanemi Warriors: Team news and predicted XI

Raja’s injury list is long, with Michael Agbekpornu out for both legs with a hamstring problem and Adel Bettaieb given seven to 10 days on October 17.

Ayoub El Amloud could return from a thigh injury, Ismail Mokadem missed the first leg, and Zidani is a doubt after his red card.

Raja Casablanca	El Kanemi Warriors
Michael Agbekpornu: out (hamstring) Adel Bettaieb: out (muscle injury) Adam Ennaffati: out Ismail Mokadem: doubt Ayoub El Amloud: doubt (thigh) Ishak Zidani: doubt (red card)	No injury or suspension problems reported

Match Highlights 🎬
El-Kanemi Warriors 🆚 Raja Club Athletic 💚 pic.twitter.com/wiaGo2NUDA

— Raja Club Athletic (@RCAofficiel) October 18, 2026

Raja Casablanca vs El Kanemi Warriors star player comparison: Oyewusi vs Mejuobi

Oyewusi, 27, joined Raja in January from Ukrainian club Kolos Kovalivka and has one goal in the CAF competition so far, plus the pass for Abu Zrayq’s equaliser.

Mejuobi scored twice against UDIB, including a penalty in the 56th minute, and then levelled at Ikenne, which gives him three goals in this season’s competition.

Oyewusi has also made two Botola appearances without a goal, so his contribution so far has come almost entirely in this tie.

Mathias Oyewusi Centre-forward · Raja Casablanca	Stat	Nnamdi Mejuobi Centre-forward · El Kanemi Warriors
1	Goals in the CAF competition	3
Goal and assist	First-leg contribution	Goal

The managers for Raja Casablanca vs El Kanemi Warriors

Paco Jémez, a 56-year-old Spaniard, was appointed at the end of August after Nasreddine Nabi resigned, and he has won one and drawn three of his four matches in charge.

El Kanemi are led by technical adviser Emmanuel King, a former Akwa United boss, who has to repair an away record that produced two defeats without a goal in the last five.

Raja Casablanca vs El Kanemi Warriors: Tactical preview

The tie arithmetic shapes both game plans: a Raja goal forces El Kanemi to score twice, while a repeat of the first-leg scoreline would take the tie to penalties because extra time is not played.

Raja scored twice in Ikenne through the same link, with Oyewusi providing the assist for Abu Zrayq and then finishing the second goal himself.

That partnership will matter more if Zidani is missing, because Othmane Chraibi is the natural replacement in the holding role and Raja have fewer options in midfield than usual.

El Kanemi’s route to goal runs through Mejuobi, but they also conceded in three of their last five matches, and chasing the game in Casablanca should leave more space behind their back line.

Raja’s own warning sign is the start, since El Kanemi scored early in Ikenne and the hosts cannot afford a repeat in front of their own crowd.

The Naija Slip: Our betting tips for Raja Casablanca vs El Kanemi Warriors

Score prediction for Raja Casablanca vs El Kanemi Warriors

🔮 Raja Casablanca 3 – 0 El Kanemi Warriors

Raja need only a draw but have the more direct attack, and El Kanemi must leave gaps when they chase the tie. Likely scorers: Oyewusi and Abu Zrayq.