Former Zambian champions Green Buffaloes are back in Africa and welcome South Sudanese side Al Merreikh Juba in a Caf Confederation Cup preliminary round, first leg encounter on Wednesday.
Buffaloes last featured in the Confederation Cup seven years ago, and have never reached the group stages on the three previous occasions that they have taken part in this competition.
Now they host Al Merreikh whose secretary general Yugo Kamal has stoked flames by proclaiming that they are aiming for a win.
Kamal said victory would be of paramount significance to the people of South Sudan who have had to endure a civil war.
“Green Buffaloes have received us very well, they are good people, especially the chairman colonel Dennis Sinkamba. He has been very good from the day we arrived, everything has been going very well,” Kamal was quoted as saying by Zambian publication Daily Mail.
“We are looking forward to the match, we are here for a win and a win will be very big for us. We are using football to bring peace to South Sudan. We have a problem there, we want peace that’s why our motto is ‘searching for peace through football.”
Elsewhere, DR Congo side Daring Club Motema Pembe renew their rivalry with Anges de Fatima of Central African Republic whom they clash with in Kinshasa.
The two sides have met four times before in both the Caf Champions League and Confederation Cup preliminary stages.
Motemba Pembe beat Anges de Fatima 2-0 in the 2006 Caf Champions League preliminary round, second leg at home, while the reverse fixture had ended goalless.
The two sides clashed again at the same stage of the 2010 Caf Confederation Cup with Motema Pembe winning their home leg 3-0, before forcing a 1-1 away draw.
With the 12-time Congolese champions and 1994 Caf Cup Winners' Cup champions having came out victorious at home before, they will be fancy their chances of again winning on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, another strong showdown is on the cards when Senegalese giants Generation Foot host Malian outfit Djoliba at the Stade Ngalandou Diouf in the Senegalese city of Rufisque.
It may be a big clash between the two West African sides, but Generation Foot coach Demba Mbaye is looking forward to watching his side enjoy themselves on the pitch.
“Our main goal is to play well, have fun, and give it our all to get a good result,” Mbaye was quoted as saying by WiwSport.
“The players are in good shape and well prepared. We know that in Africa it is another level but we will still try to play well against a fairly experienced team,” he added.
Generation Foot have a slight advantage going into the game as the Malian league has not kicked off for the past two seasons, and their opponents Djoliba have been struggling for game time.
However, Djoliba were in the group stages of the 2018 edition of the Confederation Cup and that could compensate for the experience needed to beat Generation Foot.
Djoliba coach George Kouado revealed that his team were forced to play several friendly matches in order to keep fit.
“Given the organisation around this team, we are still serious. However we will try to give a beautiful image of Malian football, even if it will not be easy. We will not give in to Generation Foot, we will fight hard,” Kouado added
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