All in or nothing: Pirates, Berkane battle for CAF Confederation Cup title

The dust has finally settled, and the best two of the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup will roll their sleeves, ready for a full fist fight for the coveted piece of silverware.

The battleground is all set for the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo, Nigeria where Morocco’s RS Berkane and South Africa’s Orlando Pirates square it out to stake out a claim on the big prize.

Morocco’s Berkane, coached by celebrated Congolese tactician Florent Ibenge are playing in their third Confederation Cup final. They lost the finale in the 2018-19 season when they were beaten 5-3 on post-match penalties by Zamalek after a 1-1 aggregate draw.

They bettered the feat by clinching their first title in the 2019-20 campaign when they saw off Egyptian Pyramids by a solitary goal.

Congolese tactician Ibenge was named coach in July 2021 and his main task was to give the side more continental success. Despite a difficult path to the final, Ibenge and Berkane have shown grit and determination to make it to the last day of the tournament.

Meanwhile, in their third appearance in the Confederation Cup, Pirates are playing the final for the second time, and first since 2015 when they lost 2-1 on aggregate to Etoile du Sahel of Tunisia.

Their two previous appearances were in 2004 when they reached the play-off round and last season when they got to the quarter-finals, losing by a massive 5-2 scoreline to eventual champions Raja Club Athletic of Morocco.

Head to head record
This is going to be the first-ever meeting between the two sides in continental football.

Both teams have had mixed results across all competitions over the last 10 matches. Pirates have won four of their last 10, losing three and drawing the other three.

Their losses have come off an away trip to Tanzania in the quarter-finals where they lost 1-0 to Simba. They also lost by the same margin to Al Ahli Tripoli of Libya in the second leg of the semi-finals, but they progressed to the final having won the first leg 2-0 in Benghazi.

Berkane meanwhile have a slightly better record over the last 10 matches, having won six, drawn two, and lost two.

Both sides are placed seventh in their respective leagues, Berkane accumulating 31 points from 22 matches in the Botola Pro Moroccan league while Pirates have 40 points from 27 matches in the South African PSL.

• Players to watch:

Orlando Pirates
The Bucaneers have a strong squad and there are several players who have been key in their campaign and they are expected to play an even bigger role with possibly their biggest game of the season.

Bandile Shandu has been the Pirate's main man in attack and his four goals so far in the competition have been vital for the Sea Robbers in their journey to the final.

Another key figure for the Pirates side is skipper Happy Jele. His leadership at the back and his threat from set-pieces are a huge asset to the South Africans.

RS Berkane
Berkane’s biggest threat is offensively and one of the players to watch out for in the final is Youssef El Fahli. The striker scored two late goals in the semi-final victory over TP Mazembe to take his side into the final.

He has so far scored four goals in the competition and against a mean defense of Pirates, his eye for goal will come in handy for the Orange side from Morocco.

Veteran defender Omar Namsaoui is also a name that could make a huge difference for Berkane in a high-pressure match. The 33-year-old has been a weapon offensively for Berkane, with his deliveries off crosses and set pieces causing danger for opponents all season long.