CAF Champions League Preview - It will Be Tough Going For Nigerian Pair

This weekend's CAF Champions League matches will give an indication of the eight clubs who will feature in the group stage of the annual competition.

Both Nigeria and Sudan still have two clubs each still in the race for spots in this year's league phase with the odds high against Nigeria's Heartland and Kano Pillars, who are yet to qualify for this stage of the competition since its format was redesigned 12 years ago.

Heartland, then known as Iwuanyanwu Nationale, reached the final of the then Champions Cup in 1988 before it was redesigned to its present format.

The Owerri club eliminated both Black Stars of Liberia and Royal Armed Forces from Morocco to set up a third round clash with last year's beaten finalists, Cotonsport of Cameroon.

Sunday's home game against the Cameroonian champions is expected to be the 'Naze Millionaires' toughest test yet against a team who have remained intact despite the exit of strikers like Baba Samaila and Kamilou Douada.

The Nigerian club are very much aware that they have to win well at the Dan Anyiam Stadium in Owerri, south-eastern Nigeria, as Cotonsport have proved they are almost unbeatable at home.

Last year, the Cameroonians fell 2-0 away to another Nigerian club, Enyimba, in the group stage of the same competition, only to beat the same team 3-0 in the reverse fixture and book a surprise passage to the last four.

Heartland will be without former youth international forward, John Owoeri, for this game as he will be serving out a one-match ban after he picked his second booking in the second round against FAR of Morocco.

However, the Nigerians will line up several experienced campaigners like ex-Enyimba midfielder Damien Udeh and skipper Ike ThankGod while also relying on the youthful vigour of Stanley Okoro, Joshua Obaje and Emmanuel Olowo.

In the northern Nigerian town of Kaduna on Saturday, Pillars face an even more difficult task against six-time African champions Al Ahly of Egypt. 
 
This is a match-up between the debutants and old-time campaigners but Pillars have insisted they plan to upset their more illustrious opponents on the day.

As part of their game plan, Pillars have hired Slovenian coach, Iva Sahj, to help out.

Their confidence will be further boosted by the injury problems facing the Cairo giants. Egypt international midfielders, Mohamed Barakat and Ahmed Hassan, did not make the trip to Nigeria as a result of injuries while first choice goalkeeper, Amir Abdul-Hamid, barely made it after recovering from a hamstring injury.

Another classic clash of experience against the unknown will be that involving Asec Mimosas of the Ivory against Monomotapa from Zimbabwe. The Ivorians are seeking a record 10th appearance at the mini-league stage of the competition, while Monomotapa are the surprice packet thus far and are only making their debut in the tournament.
 
The Zimbabweans eliminated South Africa's Ajax Cape Town on the away goals rule after aggregate scores stood at 4-4. They will most certainly be fired up by last year's exploits of fellow Zimbabweans Dynamos, who reached the semi-finals and even accounted for Asec on the way.

Asec won the 1998 edition of the Champions League and have got off to a great start in the current Ivorian league while arch-rivals and defending champions Africa Sports have struggled.
 
Monomotapa coach, Rodwell Dhlakama, said his underdogs can extend their fairy tale run should they reproduce their showing against Ajax Cape Town in the previous round.
 
“We have reached the crucial and last stage to the mini-league phase. That means we can only meet the best in Africa. They (ASEC) have won the competition before and they know what it means to win major trophies," he said.

"They don't know anything about us, but we know them and I hope that also gives us an advantage. The other thing is that if we play like we did against Ajax away and score, we can as well dream of the last eight."
 
Sudan's flag bearers, Al Hilal and Al Merrikh, will both be away in Luanda and Kampala as guests of Primero de Agosto (Angola) and Kampala City Council (KCC), respectively.
 
Djoliba AC of Mali, who sent Tunisian champions Club Africain packing in the second round, slug it out with Zambia’s Zesco United in Bamako, while one-time champions T.P. Mazembe are expected to build up a big advantage at home to Moroccan debutants Ittihad khemisset.
 
In Tripoli, Libya’s Ahly will face Etoile du Sahel of Tunisia in a North African derby.

Confederation of African Football (CAF) have replaced Benin referee Coffi Codjja  with Guinean referee Keita Yakhouba for this game.

The Tunisia Football federation and Etoile had protested the appointment of Codjja, arguing that he has been bias against teams from Tunisia.

Codjja was in charge of last year's CAF Confederation Cup match between Etoile and Ghana's Asante Kotoko in Kumasi, which ended in a fracas. Kotoko have since been banned from their home ground as a result of the crowd incident at that game.

The CAF Champions League has certainly recorded its own fair share of surprises and its unpredictability is better demonstarted by the fact that only three teams from last year's group phase are still in the reckoning this year - Ahly, Al Hilal and T.P. Mazembe.
 
The wise money will therefore be on a few more shocks leading to the league stage of the tournament.
 
The third round, second leg matches have been fixed for between May 1-3 with the winners advancing to the mini-league stage, whose draw will be conducted on May 7 at the CAF headquarters in Cairo.

Losers from this round will also get another shot at international glory as they will be drawn against the third round winners of the CAF Confederation Cup. 
 
The CAF Champions League Third Round, First Leg  Fixtures:

C. D. 1e de Agosto (Angola) v Al Hilal (Sudan )
Kano Pillars FC ( Nigeria) v Al Ahly ( Egypt)
Djoliba AC (Mali) v Zesco United (Zambia)
Kampala CC (Uganda) v Merrikh (Sudan)
Heartland (Nigeria) v Coton Sport (Cameroon)
TP Mazembe (RD Congo) v Ittihad Z. Khemisset (Morocco)
Asec Mimosas (Cote D’Ivoire) v Monomotapa FC (Zimbabwe)
Ahly Tripoli (Libya) v E.S.S. (Tunisia)

First Leg: 17, 18 or 19 April 2009 

Samm Audu, Goal.com