Tau returns home for Al Ahly's clash with Pirates

The second round of the CAF Champions League group stages sees Mamelodi Sundowns go in search of their first win, while Young Africans and Raja Casablanca look to put their first points on the board.

The action gets underway on Friday evening when Sagrada Esperanca host ES Tunis at the Estadio 11 de Novembro.

'Sacred Hope' will be aiming to avoid another battering after they suffered a heavy 5-1 defeat to Pyramids in Cairo on November 26, with the Blood and Gold also among the goals on matchday 1 following their 4-0 demolition of Djoliba in Tunis.

The pick of Saturday's fixtures pits Orlando Pirates against defending champions Al Ahly at the Orlando Stadium.

The Buccaneers kept pace with the Red Eagles after claiming a 2-1 victory CR Belouizdad in Algiers on November 26, having seen Marcel Koller's side beat Stade d'Abidjan 4-2 in Cairo earlier on that same evening.

In a concurrent match, Raja Casablanca will attempt to get their Group B campaign up and running when they take on AS Maniema Union at the Stade des Martyrs.

The Green Eagles fell 2-0 to Botola Pro rivals AS FAR in Casablanca on November 26 as the Greens and Blacks picked up a vital point after holding Mamelodi Sundowns to a 0-0 draw in Pretoria.

Later on in the evening, CR Belouizdad will be targeting their first points in Group C when they face Stade d'Abidjan at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium.

The Reds got off to a disappointing start after losing to Pirates on home soil in their group opener and they'll be determined to bounce back against Les Yeyes, who were no match for the record 12-time African champions on matchday 1.

Then Young Africans can expect another stern test when they lock horns with MC Alger at the Stade du 5 Juillet on Saturday night.

Yanga were able to make home advantage count on November 26 after being beaten 2-0 by Al Hilal in Dar es Salaam. El Mouloudia picked up a potentially precious point in a 0-0 draw with TP Mazembe in Lubumbashi.

Meanwhile, Mamelodi Sundowns will be hoping for a better performance when they head to Morocco for a clash with AS FAR at the Ben M'Hamed El Abdi Stadium.

Bafana ba Style weren't anywhere near their best as they played out to a goalless stalemate with AS Maniema Union on November 26 and Al Zaeem took early control on matters in Group B after seeing off local rivals Raja.

In the first of two matches taking place on Sunday, Pyramids will be keen to build on their impressive start in Group D when they meet Djoliba at the Stade du 26 Mars.

The Cairo outfit scored four second-half goals in a 5-1 rout of Sagrada Esperanca on matchday 1, while the Malian champions suffered a beating at the hands of ES Tunis.

TP Mazembe will attempt to knock Al Hilal off top spot in Group A when they go head-to-head at the Cheikha Ould Boidiya Stadium.

The Ravens only managed to collect a point in their opening game on home soil after sharing the spoils with MC Alger as the Blue Wave secured a massive victory over Young Africans on their trip to Dar es Salaam.

CAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FIXTURES:

Friday, December 6

18h00: Sagrada Esperanca v ES Tunis

Saturday, December 7

15h00: AS Maniema Union v Raja Casablanca

15h00: Orlando Pirates v Al Ahly

18h00: Stade d'Abidjan v CR Belouizdad

21h00: MC Alger v Young Africans

21h00: AS FAR v Mamelodi Sundowns

Sunday, December 8

18h00: Djoliba v Pyramids

21h00: Al Hilal v TP Mazembe