African Champions League begins its 2020/2021 season with 22 preliminary round, first leg matches taking place across the continent this weekend.
The action will feature several big names and ‘teams to watch’, though nine clubs – including reigning champions Al Ahly – have been given a go ahead through to the next round.
Al Ahly will face the winners of the tie between Niger’s AS Sonidep and Mogadishu City of Somalia. The two sides will meet in the first leg in Nouakchott on Sunday afternoon.
Elsewhere, Cameroon champions PWD Bamenda will take their first steps in what they hope will be a long and successful campaign when they face South Africa giants Kaizer Chiefs.
In Jos City, Plateau of Nigeria will hope to follow the footsteps of Enyimba, who bowed out at the quarterfinals of Confederation Cup last season, when they battle Simba Sports Club of Tanzania.
Meanwhile, Enyimba are in Burkina Faso to face Rahimo and with the new season of the Nigeria Professional Football League only starting December 6, the Peoples Elephants have been preparing for their game with friendlies and participation in pre-season tournaments.
APR of Rwanda will face a tough opening match at home to Kenyan outfit Gor Mahia, while in Akonangui will battle against Angola’s Petro du Luanda.
Guinea’s outfit AAGBS will fancy their chances of joining Horoya AC in the second round when they face Mali’s Stade Malien.
Mozambique’s ASKO de Kara of Togo will look to enjoy their trip in Ivory Coast to face Racing Club de Abidjan while Chad’s Gazelle will be confident of victory against Djibouti’s GR SIAF.
The return leg matches will be played on the weekend of 4-6 December, with the aggregate winners advancing to join clubs that received a bye in the first round.
Saturday 28 November 2020
28.11.2020 – 13:00 Ndola / Forest Rangers (Zambia) – AS Bouenguidi Sports (Gabon)
28.11.2020 – 13:30 Lobatse / Jwaneng Galaxy (Botswana) – US de Zilimadjou (Comoros)
28.11.2020 – 13:00 Manzini / Young Buffaloes (Eswatini) – Le Messager de Ngozi (Burundi)
28.11.2020 – 18:00 Cairo / Ahli Benghazi (Libya) – Mekelle 70 Enderta (Ethiopia)
28.11.2020 – 16:00 Kampala / Vipers SC (Uganda) – Al Hilal (Sudan)
28.11.2020 – 16:00 Porto Novo / Buffles (Benin) – MC Alger (Algeria)
28.11.2020 – 16:00 Zanzibar City / Mlandege (Zanzibar) – CS Sfaxien (Tunisia)
28.11.2020 – 13:30 Maputo / CD Costa do Sol (Mozambique) – Platinum (Zimbabwe)
28.11.2020 13:00 Kigali / APR (Rwanda) – Gor Mahia (Kenya)
Sunday 29 November 2020
29.11.2020 – 14:30 Conakry / AAGBS (Guinea) – Stade Malien (Mali)
29.11.2020 – 16:30 Bakau / Gambia Armed Forces (Gambia) – Teungueth FC (Senegal)
29.11.2020 – 16:00 Abidjan / Racing Club d’Abidjan (Cote d’Ivoire) – ASKO de Kara (Togo)
29.11.2020 – 16:00 Niamey / AS SONIDEP (Niger) – Mogadishu City (Senegal)
29.11.2020 – 15:00 N’Djamena / Gazelle (Chad) – GR SIAF (Djibouti)
29.11.2020 – 14:00 Limbe / PWD de Bamenda (Cameroon) – Kaizer Chiefs (South Africa)
29.11.2020 – 14:30 Owando / AS Otoho (Congo) – El Merreikh (Sudan)
29.11.2020 – 16:00 Ouagadougou / Rahimo (Burkina Faso) – Enyimba (Nigeria)
29.11.2020 – 14:00 Maseru / Bantu (Lesotho) – Nkana (Zambia)
29.11.2020 – 14:30 Ebebiyn / Akonangui (Equatorial Guinea) – Atletico Petroleos de Luanda (Angola)
29.11.2020 – 15:00 Jos City / Plateau United (Nigeria) – Simba SC (Tanzania)
29.11.2020 – 16:00 Algiers / CR Belouizdad (Algeria) – El Nasr (Libya)
29.11.2020 – 15:00 Nouadhibou / Nouadhibou (Mauritania) – Asante Kotoko (Ghana)
Clubs that received bye to Second Preliminary Round
Al Ahly (Egypt), AS V. Club (DR Congo), Club Desportivo 1 de Agosto (Angola), Esperance (Tunisia), Horoya A.C (Guinea), Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa), Raja Club Athletic (Morocco), TP Mazembe (DR Congo), Wydad Athletic Club (Morocco), Zamalek (Egypt)
