JOHANNESBURG: Tunisian club Esperance have pardoned rebels Moyin Chaabani and Wissam Al-Bekri ahead of a crucial African Champions League clash with title holders Al Ahly Saturday.
Veteran defenders Chaabani and Al-Bekri were left at home when the teams met in Cairo two weeks ago and Esperance suffered a humiliating 3-0 loss against the five-time African champions.
But with the legendary Blood and Gold on the brink of elimination, Club President Aziz Zouhir brokered a peace deal for the Tunis showdown.
Esperance, who lifted the trophy that symbolizes African club supremacy 13 years ago, have collected just one point from three matches and the defeat by Al Ahly was the biggest they suffered in a continental competition.
No reason was given for the suspensions, but an inexperienced Tunisian side was ruthlessly exposed with an early Mohamed Aboutraika goal giving the Cairo Red Devils an edge that became ever sharper.
But happiness at the return of captain Chaabani and France-born Al-Bekri will be tempered by the absence of defender Karim Touati and midfielders Ahmed Hammi and Saber Khalifa.
Touati is recovering from an ankle injury, Hammi has been sidelined by exhaustion and Khalifa broke a leg playing for the national under-23 team during the All-Africa Games in Algeria last month.
Worsening the headaches afflicting stand-in coach Ali Ben Neji is the doubt surrounding recent signing Bilal Yekin, who faces a fitness test before the starting line-up is finalized.
Desperate Esperance officials cut ticket prices this week to try and ensure a sellout 60,000 crowd at the National Stadium in Rades on the outskirts of the Tunisian capital.
Defeat for the Blood and Gold is unthinkable as it would not only leave them at least five points adrift of second-placed Al-Hilal of Sudan with just two rounds left, but also guarantee bitter rivals Ahly a semi-finals slot.
A win for group debutants Hilal over 1998 champions ASEC Mimosas of Ivory Coast in Abidjan would take them into the semi-finals and the form of the hosts is triggering palpitations among some supporters.
Returning from a 2-1 loss in Sudan, youthful Asec were taken to a penalty shootout before overcoming second division outfit Efym in an Ivory Coast Cup quarter-final.
After holding Esperance goalless in Tunisia, Asec slumped 1-0 at home to Al Ahly and must collect maximum points when they entertain Hilal and the Tunisians to have a realistic chance of squeezing into the penultimate phase.
In Group A, leaders Etoile Sahel of Tunisia are away to Jeunesse Sportive Kabylie of Algeria while second-placed Al-Ittihad of Libya enjoys home advantage over battling FAR Rabat of Morocco in Tripoli.
A 55-second goal helped Etoile overcome Kabylie in Sousse two weeks ago and the Algerians have switched the return match from the capital to a far smaller but more intimidating stadium in their hometown of Tizi Ouzou.
Surprise packets Ittihad, another club competing in the mini-league phase of the African Champions League for the first time, may introduce new midfielder Nenad Mladenovic from Serbia.
But compatriot and Coach Branko Smiljanic cannot sit on the touchline after receiving a one-match ban following violence after FAR snatched a controversial stoppage-time winner in Morocco.
