Darragi out for Esperance

Esperance Tunis have declared Oussama Darragi unfit for their African Champions League semi-final return leg against Sudanese side Al Hilal.

The 24-year-old Tunisia international midfielder picked an injury during his country’s African Cup of Nations qualifier against Togo last weekend, and will now miss the clash with Al Hilal on Saturday in Tunis.

Esperance coach Nabil Maaloul said the absence of his star would be a blow to the side, who have a 1-0 win in the first-leg away from home under their belts.

“For a home fixture like this one, we needed an additional offensive push, which the absence of Darragi has come to aggravate,” Maaloul told the club’s website.

“When we played against MC Alger, Darragi’s assists yielded two of our four goals. He’s the engine of the midfield. However, we don’t have any other choice but to accept the situation and play our game.”

Maaloul added that midfielder Khaled Korbi would not start to avoid him missing the final in case he picked a yellow card, after he was booked in the previous match.