New Champions League season gets underway

Gavin Hunt (C), coach of Kaizer Chiefs

Friday Nov 27, 2020. 11:00

The 2020-21 CAF Champions League season gets underway on the same weekend that the 2019-20 edition reaches its conclusion.

While all eyes will be focused on Cairo on Friday night for the 2019-20 final between Al Ahly and Zamalek, a further 22 Champions League matches will take place across the African continent from 27 to 29 November as the 2020-21 preliminary round gets underway.

There are plenty of heavyweights in action, including South Africa’s Kaizer Chiefs, whose coach Gavin Hunt desperately needs a strong result away to Cameroon debutants PWD Bamenda on Sunday following a stuttering start to their domestic campaign.

The same day, the Nigerian duo of Plateau United and Enyimba will face challenging matches against Tanzanian giants Simba (home) and Rahimo of Burkina Faso (away) respectively.

Fatai Osho, coach of Enyimba, has promised that his team will not be overconfident against their opponents.

“Rahimo FC of Burkina Faso is a very good side and also a creative ball-playing team. Despite the fact that we won by five goals when we met last season, it’s still enough to say the game will be easy but we will work hard to ensure that we make the fans and Nigerians proud,” Osho told Brila.

Other big names in action include Tunisia’s CS Sfaxien, who will be away to Mlandege of Zanzibar; Sudanese sides Al Merrikh and Al Hilal have tough away matches against AS Otoho and Vipers in the Congo and Uganda respectively; while Ghana’s Asante Kotoko will head to Mauritania to face FC Nouadhibou.

The return leg matches will be played on the weekend of 4-6 December, with the 22 aggregate winners advancing to join 10 clubs (which received byes) in the first round.

CAF Champions League fixtures, 27-29 November

Preliminary round, first leg

Friday 27 November

FC Nouadhibou v Asante Kotoko

Saturday 28 November

Al Ahly Benghazi v Mekelle 70 Enderta

Forest Rangers v AS Bouengiudi

Jwangeng Galaxy v US Zilimadjou

Young Buffaloes v Le Messager Ngozi

Buffles de Borgou v MC Alger

Mlandege v CS Sfaxien

Costa do Sol v FC Platinum

APR v Gor Mahia

Sunday 29 November

Gazelle v GR-SIAF

PWD Bamenda v Kaizer Chiefs

Bantu v Nkana

AS Otoho v Al Merrikh

Akonangui v Petro de Luanda

Plateau United v Simba

AS SONIDEP v Mogadishu City

CR Belouizdad v Al Nasr

Rahimo v Enyimba

RC Abidjan v ASKO Kara

Ashanti de Siguiri v Stade Malien

Gambia Armed Forces v Teungueth