Raja Casablanca arrive late this afternoon in South Africa. Kaizer Chiefs will host the Moroccan side in the first leg of the CAF Champions League’s first round at Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday (kick-off at 19:00).

Raja was supposed to play against Hassania Agadir in Morocco’s Botola Pro League last night, but the encounter was postponed. The Moroccans are presently in fifth position.

The Casablanca-based side has a fine squad, ably led by their captain and defender Mohamed Oulhaj, who has gained more than ten caps for the Moroccan national team. Ouljah is 27-year-old.

Striker Yassine Salhi is the man in form at present. He’s also 27 and has netted so far eight times while representing his country. Salhi comes from Raja’s youth development structures, like captain Oulhaj.

The 30-year-old attacking midfielder Salaheddine Aqqal is another danger man. He joined Raja last season from fellow Moroccan side FAR de Rabat.

Raja also has a few non-Moroccan players in their squad. One of them is the 30-year-old defensive midfielder Kouko Guehi from Ivory Coast.

On a sad note, the father of goalkeeper Khalid Al Askri has passed away. He heard about it during the squad’s stopover in Dubai, on the way to South Africa. However, despite the loss, Raja’s No 1 still opted to join the squad for the Chiefs encounter.

The Moroccans won the Champions League in 1989, 1997 and 1999. However, Raja hasn’t reached the semifinals since 2005.

Tickets are available at Computickets and will cost R50.