Rédaction Africa Links 24 with ALM
Published on 2024-03-14 10:50:57
The draw for the quarter-finals carried out on Tuesday, March 12, 2024 by the CAF in Cairo revealed some exciting matchups. RSB drew Libyan side Abu Salem in the CAF Confederation Cup.
The die is cast and the qualified teams are now aware of their fate. With the draw conducted on Tuesday in Cairo, the paths are set for both the participants in the Champions League and those competing in the Confederation Cup.
For the Champions League, which will not feature Wydad Casablanca for the first time in recent years, the draw led to some interesting matchups.
The first quarter-final will see Tanzanian side Simba FC taking on record holders Al Ahly SC. The Tanzanians are looking for their first continental success and will aim to achieve it at the expense of the reigning champions.
Seeking continental glory since their last CAF Champions League victory in 2015, TP Mazembe will host Atletico Petroleos from Angola in Lubumbashi in the first leg before traveling to Luanda for the return match. The best run for the Angolans was in the 2021/22 season, where they reached the semi-finals before being knocked out by eventual winners Wydad.
Four-time champions Esperance of Tunisia will face 1998 champions Asec Mimosas, who will be motivated by the recent success of Ivorians in the TotalEnergies CAF African Cup of Nations a month ago. The final quarter-final will see another Tanzanian giant, Young Africans, who were runners-up in the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup last season, taking on South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns, who are eager to replicate their 2016 success when they won their first continental title.
In the Confederation Cup, the only remaining representative of Moroccan football in African competitions, Renaissance de Berkane, have been drawn against Libyan club Abu Salem. The draw produced interesting results as the four previous champions (USM Alger, RS Berkane, Stade Malien, Zamalek) managed to avoid each other in the quarter-finals. The two-time Moroccan champions are aiming for a third continental title after their successes in 2020 and 2022.
RS Berkane reached this stage of the competition after finishing top of Group D in the group stage with 14 points (4 wins and 2 draws).
A high-profile Egyptian derby is set for the first quarter-final match as Modern Future will face the 2019 champions, Zamalek, who have been seeking a continental title since then.
Nigerian side Rivers United, aiming for their first title, will take on reigning champions USM Alger, who not only won the title last season but also defeated Al Ahly in the TotalEnergies CAF Super Cup final. 2009 champions Stade Malien will face Ghana’s Dreams FC, who will look to cause an upset against a highly reputed opponent.
The quarter-final matches will take place from March 29-31 (first leg) and April 5-7 (second leg).
Read the original article(French) on Aujourdhui.ma
