Key man
Tresor Mputu Mabi
The captain and undeniable star of the team, Nigerian Mputu was coy on his future after guiding the Congolese champions to victory over his native country’s Heartland FC in the final, but with the European transfer window open only in January he will probably use the Club Cup to put himself in the shop window. Reportedly the highest paid man in Congolese football, the 24-year-old midfielder chipped in with a respectable seven goals in 41 games last season and has a fiery temperament.
Also look out for
Narcisse Ekanga
The 27-year-old Cameroonian attacker scored the winning goal against Heartland to put the Crows into the Fifa Club World Cup. He finished off a scrappy move by heading it into the back of the net from close, but they all count. A bit of luck is going to be vital for this battling Congolese side.
Dioko Kaluyituka
Another up-front poacher, Mazembe are going to need all of the strikers at their disposal if they’re going to break down well-schooled teams like Estudiantes. Kaluyitaka was the leading Champions League striker, a Congolese international and was a vital part of Congo winning the inaugural CAF African Nations Championship.
How they got here
An unpredictable side, Mazembe actually lost games in both the semi-final and final of the CAF Champions League, eventually claiming the title on goal difference from Nigerian-side Heartland, which was eventually settled by an own goal. This is their third title since 1968, but they were still an outside shot at the start of the tournament.
The history
Mazembe are, unsurprisingly, the only club in the competition to be founded by Benedictine monks, when in 1939 the priests were ordered to diversify their activities to occupy the minds of those who were not in service of the church. After the monks left, the team was known as Engelbert for a long time, after their sponsor. The ‘TP’ that precedes it also remains and stands for ‘Tout Puissant’ meaning ‘all power to’.
The coach
Diego Garzitto
The French coach claimed that ‘hard work made Mazembe African champions’. Well, the work has only just begun if he plans on turning their dogged style into a Fifa Club World Cup winning side. But the 59-year-old former Togo and Ethiopia coach knows African football inside out and, while for many they were a surprise team to lift the trophy, they did so through sheer persistence, scraping wins by small margins. Garzitto has fashioned a team that just doesn’t give up, which is a testament to how well they might do.
How they’ll fair
As we said, Mazembe are a team of hard workers with great energy, who will need a bit of luck if they’re going to go all the way. In Mputu, they have a dynamic midfielder in the Michael Essien mould, but they aren’t consistent away from home and might struggle in the desert.
Prediction
Noble quarter-finalists who will battle until the end, but ultimately a lack of depth will tell. But if any of the minnows can pull a surprise it might the hard-running Congolese.
