Ahly, Sundowns to meet in CAFCL quarterfinals

by Graeme Jackson

Friday Apr 30, 2021. 15:32

The draw for the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup was conducted on Friday afternoon, with the headline fixture pitting reigning African champions Al Ahly against their coach’s former team, Mamelodi Sundowns.

Pitso Mosimane left Sundowns at the end of September last year and took over the Red Devils, guiding them to a record-extending ninth CAFCL title with victory over arch rivals Zamalek. If ‘Jingles’ is to take the Cairo side to a milestone 10th African crown, he will have to overcome a Brazilians team which he moulded into one of the strongest ever seen in domestic South African football.

Ahly and Sundowns already have a strong history against one another in the Champions League, most notably their meeting in the 2001 final which was won 3-1 on aggregate by the Egyptian club.

The other Champions league quarterfinal ties will see Algeria’s MC Alger take on Morocco’s Wydad Casablanca; Tunisian heavyweights Esperance de Tunis face another Algeria side in CR Belouizdad; and South Africa’s Kaizer Chiefs will mark their quarterfinal debut with a clash against Tanzanian dark horses Simba SC.

The Confederation Cup draw saw Orlando Pirates paired with Raja Casablanca in the pick of the ties, with the Buccaneers faced with the challenge of trying to overcome a Green Eagles team which won this tournament as recently as 2018.

The other match-ups see Tunisia’s CS Sfaxien and Algerian club JS Kabylie in a North African derby; Cameroon heavyweights Coton Sport will face the challenge of ambitious Senegalese side ASC Jaraaf; and Nigeria’s Enyimba, who needed a last-gasp goal in midweek to secure their place in the final eight, take on Egypt’s Pyramids FC.

The quarterfinal, first-leg matches for both the CAFCC and CAFCL will be held on the weekend of 14-16 May.

CAF Champions League draw

QF1:Al Ahly v Mamelodi Sundowns

QF2: MC Alger v Wydad Casablanca

QF3: CR Belouizdad v Esperance de Tunis

QF4: Kaizer Chiefs v Simba SC

Winners of QF2 and QF4 will meet in the semifinals

Winners of QF3 and QF1 will meet in the semifinals

– Quarterfinals: First leg 14-16 May; Second leg 21-23 May

– Semifinals: First leg 28-20 June; Second leg 25-27 June

– Final: 17 July

CAF Confederation Cup draw

QF1: CS Sfaxien v JS Kabylie

QF2: Orlando Pirates v Raja Casablanca

QF3: Pyramids v Enyimba

QF4: Coton Sport v ASC Jaraaf

Winners of QF4 and QF1 will meet in the semifinals

Winners of QF3 and QF2 will meet in the semifinals

– Quarterfinals: First leg 14-16 May; Second leg 21-23 May

– Semifinals: First leg 28-20 June; Second leg 25-27 June

– Final: 10 July