All eyes of African football enthusiasts will be on the matches of the first day of the group stage of the CAF Champions League and the CAF Confederation Cup on Tuesday and Wednesday, promising thrilling encounters, particularly for Morocco’s three representatives.
In the Champions League, the clash between Raja Casablanca and AS FAR (Group B), set for Tuesday at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium in Casablanca (20:00), will be the highlight of the day, especially as it pits two giants of Moroccan and African football against each other, both aspiring to advance deep into the competition.
For Raja, a three-time winner of the tournament (1989, 1997, 1999) currently experiencing a difficult patch with five consecutive draws in Botola Pro D1—most recently against local rivals Wydad Casablanca (1-1)—a victory in this match could reignite their nightmarish season, having set records last season by winning the Botola title without suffering a single defeat. The club’s management turned to Portuguese coach Ricardo Sá Pinto last October, replacing Bosnian Rusmir Cviko, as the Green and Whites still search for their rhythm to get their true campaign underway.
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Currently third in the Botola Pro, AS FAR aims to reclaim its African glory, having won a Champions League title (1985) and a CAF Cup (2005) in its history. Eliminated in the second round of last year’s Champions League edition, AS FAR hopes to do better this year and reach the next stage of CAF’s flagship club competition.
In their group, Raja and AS FAR will face a serious contender for one of the two qualification spots for the next round, namely South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns. However, both Moroccan clubs must remain cautious of the Congolese side AC Maniema Union, who could act as spoilers.
In the CAF Cup, RS Berkane, enjoying one of their best starts to a season in Botola this year, leading the league by eight points ahead of their closest rival, Maghreb de Fès, will host Angolan team CD Lunda Sul on Wednesday (20:00) at the municipal stadium of Berkane for Group B action. The Berkanis, unfortunate finalists in the last edition of this competition against Egypt’s Zamalek, have all the elements in their favor to emerge victorious in this match, including a passionate home crowd and high morale. The club from Oriental will also compete in this group alongside Stade Malien and Stellenbosch from South Africa.
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