Akwa United of Uyo have about the toughest challenge ahead of them on the continental terrain next month, as The Promise Keepers will tango a top team from Algeria in the CAF Champions League, megasportsarena.com reports.
While Rivers United of Port Harcourt have arguably lighter opposition in the same competition and Bayelsa United of Yenagoa look well placed to move ahead in the CAF Confederations Cup, the story looks different for the first-time Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) champions.
This is sequel to the CAF competitions’ draw on Friday, from which it merged that Akwa United will battle Algerian Ligue 1 champions, CR Belouizdad in the preliminary round of the Champions League.
Kenedy Boboye’s side, who won their maiden league title earlier this month and will aim to qualify for the group stage of the continent’s money-spinning elite clubs’ competition, will host the Algerians at Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo for the first leg before travelling for the reverse fixture.
On the other hand, Rivers United, who finished as runners-up controversially this season in the NPFL to emerge as Nigeria’s second representative in the CAF Champions League, will face Tanzania’s Young Africans Sports Club.
It is a huge chance for redemption for The Garden City side, which last season had an unsuccessful outing in the CAF Confederation Cup, as they were knocked out of the last stage of the group qualifiers by Enyimba of Aba, who won on penalties after a 1-1 draw on aggregate.
Akwa United and Rivers United will now start frenetic preparations, as the first-leg fixtures of their respective preliminary qualifiers will take place between September 10 and 12 while the reverse fixtures are scheduled for September 17 to 19.
In the same vein, lower division Nigeria National League (NNL) outfit, Bayelsa United, who won the FA Cup last weekend, will participate in the CAF Confederation Cup, after they clinched the ticket with a 1-0 win over Nasarawa United of Lafia last Sunday.
The Yenagoa-based club owned by Bayelsa State government will aim to face Tunisia’s CS Sfaxien in the first round, but they will first have to battle Ghana’s Ashanti Golden Boys in the preliminary stage, which is scheduled to take place on the same weekend as the CCL qualifiers.
On the other hand, Enyimba, who finished third on the NPFL table, got a bye into the first round of the Confederation Cup qualifiers, in which they will face the winner of the clash between Senegal’s Diambars and Guinea’s Wakirya Athletic Club; following which they will face the first leg on October 15 to 17 while the second leg will be in the following week.
