2018 CAF Champions League: The race to the quarter-finals begins!
The premier club competition on the continent roars back into life this weekend. The final sixteen teams, organized in four groups will battle it out for the eight quarter-final spots. Only the first and runners-up from each group will progress. Below is the group by group analysis:
Group A
Tunisian outfit, Esperance will be looking to revenge a 2017 quarterfinal loss when they visit Egyptian champions, Al Ahly. Township Rollers of Botswana will host Kampala City Authority of Uganda in a relatively unfamiliar fixture where either of the teams are not expected to challenge the two North African sides for quarter-final places.
Group B
This group has been dubbed the group of death for the 2018 tournament. Holders of the CAF Confederation Cup, TP Mazembe who are also five-time CAF Champions League winners will welcome two-time champions, Setif, in DR Congo. There is another all North African clash between Mouloudia Alger of Algeria and Difaa El Jadida of Morocco who are quite prolific, having scored 29 goals between them in eight qualifiers.
Group C
Arguably, the most anticipated match is in this group, where South African champions, Mamelodi Sundowns look to get one over defending champions, Wydad Casablanca of Morocco who knocked-out the South African side in a quarter-final penalty shootout last year.
Debutants, Port of Togo and Horoya of Guinea will also begin their races to try and cause an upset in this group.
Group D
Former champions, Etoile Sahel of Tunisia are expected to cruise to the top spot with their first encounter being a visit to Primeiro Agosto of Angola who had been absent from the competition for 21-years. Kingdom of the eSwatini side, Mbabane Swallows will carry on their fairytale season with a visit to Ndola to face another Zambian opposition, Zesco United.
Matchday 1 kicks off this Friday with the matches continuing on Saturday.
