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The Villarreal striker was not picked by Keshi, despite scoring 12 goals in the Spanish top flight this season. Uche has not played for his country since they won the Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa last year. The 30-year-old insists, however, that he holds no grudges against Keshi. "Of course as a professional footballer you'd love to represent your country, but I have never had bad words towards the national coach," Uche is widely regarded as one of Nigeria's most reliable strikers at international level and is one of his nation's all-time top scorers, with 18 goals in 45 appearances, behind Rashidi Yekini, Segun Odegbami and Yakubu Aiyegbeni. 

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Thierry Daniel Henry, born 17 August 1977, is a French footballer who plays as a striker for New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer. In July 2008, Arsenal fans voted him as Arsenal's greatest player ever in Arsenal.com's Gunners' Greatest 50 Players poll. At Barcelona, Henry was given the number 14 jersey, the same as he had worn at Arsenal. 

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LEGENDS - ‪‪FRANCE - Patrick Vieira‬‬

He has 107 caps for France, and was part of their 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000-winning sides, as well as their runner-up finish in the 2006 World Cup. Vieira is currently Football Development Executive at Manchester City with a role to oversee aspects such as youth development, commercial partners and the club's social responsibility programme, "City in the Community".

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The Ivorian has scored 24 goals in all competitions since joining the Swans from Vitesse Arnhem for a club-record fee of £12m last summer. Bony, 25, has been the bright spot in a disappointing Premier League season. 

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Coaches National teams
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He believes that such a boost in finances will also mean more African players staying to play on the continent. "We are trying to offer the best things that we have to our players - it's really tough in Africa to maintain a club," he said. "I think the day African players remain on the continent, then Africa can win the World Cup.

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TP Mazemebe, runners-up in last year's Confederation Cup, and AS Vita Club are fierce rivals

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African Confederation Cup

AFRICAN CONFEDERATION CUP 2014 - SEMI FINALS - 2ND LEG - PREVIEW

AFRICAN CONFEDERATION CUP 2014

Semi-finals second legs
• 27.09.2014: AC Leopards vs Sewe Sports -:- (Agg: 0:1) 
• 28.09.2014: Al Ahly vs Coton -:- (Agg: 1:0)

The Cairo 'Red Devils' have home advantage and a 1:0 lead over Cameroonians Coton Sport going into the second leg of their semi-final this weekend.

A goal by diminutive midfielder Walid Soliman put Ahly in a powerful position against opponents they have constantly had the edge over.

Ahly defeated Coton 4:2 on aggregate in the 2008 Champions League final and on penalties last year in a semi-final of the same competition.

While Egypt are the dominant African club force with 31 titles - including a record 18 won by Ahly - the furthest they have gone in the Confederation Cup is the semi-finals.

Unfashionable Cairo outfit ENPPI reached the last four in 2009 before losing 6:4 overall to eventual title winners Malians Stade Malien.

Ahly, demoted to the second-tier Confederation Cup after losing a Champions League final-round qualifier, have made steady rather than spectacular progress to the semi-finals.

A win and a defeat against Zambians Nkana, a win and a draw against Ivorians Sewe Sport and two draws with Tunisians Etoile Sahel earned top spot in Group B.

Lack of goals has been the chief headache for Spanish coach Juan Carlos Garrido with only eight in nine games and no marksman managing more than two.

Some comfort for Coton is an unbeaten away Cup record this season with a win at Ivorians Asec Mimosas and draws with Angolans Petro Atletico, Congolese AC Leopards and Malians Real Bamako.

They also boast a consistent scorer in five-goal Niger star Daouda Kamilou, a survivor of the losing 2008 final team.

The other second leg is harder to call after first-time semi-finalists Sewe Sport established a slender 1:0 home lead over 2012 Confederation Cup winners AC Leopards.

Christian Kouame scored after a goalmouth scramble 12 minutes into the second half at the palm tree-lined Stade Robert Champroux in Abidjan.

It is a slight advantage, but Sewe have won two and drawn one of four away games en route to the semi-finals and conceded just two goals in 360 minutes.

Behind a solid defence Sewe have Sylvain Gbohouo, one of the three Ivory Coast goalkeepers at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Leopards have been erratic lately, hammering four goals past Coton and past ASEC and then firing a blank against Sewe.

The biggest Congolese threats are likely to be teenager Kader Bidimbou and Cesaire Gandze, who have bagged 11 Confederation Cup goals between them.

Whichever sides advance to the final will have a long wait with the first leg scheduled only for the last weekend in November due to fixture congestion.

 

26 Sep 2014
(BBC Sport UK)

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