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Contrasting starts to Champions League campaigns

football11 October 2024 09:00| © Mzansi Football
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Sundowns @ gallo images

Mamelodi Sundowns have been handed a seemingly modest start to their African Champions League campaign, but Orlando Pirates will be straight into the thick of things when the group phase gets underway next month.

Sundowns are participating in the group stages for a 10th successive season and were one of the four top seeds when the draw was conducted earlier this week, paired in Group B with Maniema Union from the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Moroccan duo of Raja Casablanca and Royal Armed Forces.

They will face rookies Maniema at home in their opening group game on Tuesday, November 26 as the Congolese side from Kindu, in the heart of the giant country, participate in the Champions League group phase for the first time. The club were only founded in 2005 and have played three times previously in the African Confederation Cup but failed to qualify for the group stage.

But this season, on their Champions League debut, they upset Petro Atletico of Angola in the second preliminary round, winning the tie 2-1 on aggregate after forcing an unexpected goalless draw in the second leg in Luanda. In the first round, Maniema beat Zimbabwe champions Ngezi Platinum on post-match penalties after the two legs ended goalless.

Pirates, who return to the Champions League group stage for the first time since 2019, start their Group C campaign away against Chabab Belouizdad of Algeria.

The match is also set for November 26, likely to be played in Oran, which is some 400km along the coast from the capital, Algiers.

Immediately after the trip, Pirates will be hosting defending champions Al Ahly from Egypt in Soweto on December 6 or 7. The Confederation of African Football are still to confirm the exact date and kick-off time.

Pirates also have Stade Abidjan from the Ivory Coast in their group. They have qualified for the group phase for the first time.

SuperSport will be screening this season’s African club competition matches after recently acquiring the rights.

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