Salim Ali: Nairobi United anticipate intense atmosphere against Etoile in CAF CC duel
By Luke Oluoch, October 26, 2025Nairobi United’s Technical Director, Salim Ali, has stated that the team is braced for a tough outing in the CAF Confederations Cup return leg qualifier against Etoile Du Sahel on Sunday, October 26, 2025.
The club will be out to chase domestic history by qualifying for the money stage of the competitions for the first time in the continental games.
Gor Mahia is the only club to come close to the feat in recent history. The club’s close stab came in 2018, where it failed to advance to the quarterfinal clash after losing on aggregate to Algeria’s USM Algiers.
‘We expect a rowdy atmosphere from the fans. It will be hostile, but we are determined to focus on our game. We will have to stay alert for 90 minutes,” he stated.
Job far from done
However, with their task half done following a 2-0 win in Nairobi a week ago, Assistant Coach Salim Ali has maintained that the task remains far from done, stressing that the team expects it to be much harder to cling to their first-leg advantage in Tunisia on Sunday.
“If we say we have the advantage, we are going to fight for the 90 minutes. It will be our second match away. We have much on our shoulders despite the two-goal advantage,” he added.
The clash comes as the team is on the verge of making a huge financial windfall with a victory. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has set the group stage participation reward at US$400,000, approximately Ksh51 million. For a young and ambitious side like Nairobi United, that cash injection could be transformational.
Naibois’ CAF exploits
The Kenyan side embarked on their CAF exploits on a 3-3 aggregate win over Uganda’s NEC. Nicholas Muyoti’s charges earned a 2-2 draw in Uganda before advancing on the away goals rule after a 1-1 draw at Nyayo National Stadium a week later.
The team extended the fine run with a surprising 2-0 win over Tunisian Etoile Du Sahel prior to the decisive return leg this Sunday.
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