By Angu Lesley
Football Writer,kick442.com-Cameroon
Franck Mbella Etouga will have to put friendships and memories aside on Wednesday night when CR Belouizdad come face-to-face with his former club USM Khenchela in the Algerian Ligue 1.
Just months after leaving Khenchela, the Cameroon striker will find himself on the opposite side of a fixture involving a club that played an important role in his rise in Algerian football.
Etouga spent last season with Khenchela and impressed enough to earn a move to one of Algeria’s biggest clubs. Belouizdad moved quickly during the summer to secure his signature, handing the 24-year-old a three-year contract and making him part of their plans for the new campaign.
Now, his first meeting with Khenchela as a Belouizdad player has arrived.
It promises to be a special moment for Etouga, who knows many of the players he will face on Wednesday. The Cameroon forward will also know that his former teammates will be equally familiar with his game — making the battle even more interesting.
Belouizdad have started the campaign strongly, picking up seven points from their first three matches. They drew 3-3 with ASO Chlef before edging ES Sétif and US Biskra by identical 1-0 scorelines.
Khenchela have also avoided defeat, although they have collected two points from their opening two matches after consecutive draws.
The last time the clubs met, Belouizdad came out on top with a 3-1 victory in May 2026, when Etouga was still wearing Khenchela colours. This time, however, he will be hoping to help Belouizdad claim another victory — this time against his former employers.
For Etouga, this is more than just another league match.
It is a chance to face the club that helped him establish himself in Algeria, in front of a new set of supporters who are now expecting him to deliver.
And there could hardly be a better stage for the Cameroonian to remind everyone why Belouizdad came calling in the first place.
English 
French