CAF Champions League
The biggest club competition in Africa, the CAF Champions League, now has 8 teams left standing off the 55 who started the journey on 10 February, 2017.
Tunisian team Étoile du Sahel, and Ferroviário Beira of Mozambique qualified from Group A, easily achieved due to FIFA’s suspension of the Sudan Football Association which resulted in the expulsion of Al-Merrikh and Al-Hilal.
USM Alger, and Al-Ahli Tripoli advanced from Group B, Espérance de Tunis, and defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns both from group C. Wydad Casabalanca of Morocco, and record winners Al-Ahly qualified to the quarter-finals from Group D.
Tunisian teams Espérance de Tunis and Étoile du Sahel were unbeaten in their 6 group matches. Interestingly, based on order of qualification, if both successfully navigate their quarter-final fixtures they would be oppositions in the semi-final which makes easy prediction of having a Tunisian team in the final of the most prestigious club competition in Africa.
Al-Ahly (Egypt) vs Espérance de Tunis (Tunisia), is unarguably the tie of the round as both teams have embraced 10 Champions League titles.
Quarter-Final:
Al-Ahli Tripoli (Libya) vs Étoile du Sahel (Tunisia)
Al-Ahly (Egypt) vs Espérance de Tunis (Tunisia)
Ferroviário Beira (Mozambique) vs USM Alger (Algeria)
Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa) vs Wydad Casablanca (Morocco)
As the excitement is rife in the premier tournament, so does the fire stay burning in Africa’s secondary club football competition, the CAF Confederation Cup which for the first time this season saw the group stage expanded from eight to 16 teams, divided into four groups of four, and the knockout stage expanded from 4 to 8 teams.
Quarter-finals:
MC Alger (Algeria) vs Club Africain (Tunisia)
SuperSport United (South Africa) vs ZESCO United (Zambia)
FUS Rabat (Morocco) vs CS Sfaxien (Tunisia)
Recreativo do Libolo (Angola) vs TP Mazembe (DRC)
The first leg of the quarter-final ties would take place between 8-10 September; with the return leg scheduled to hold from 15-17 September, 2017.
