2018 CAF Champions League / Confederation Cup

Discussion in 'Africa' started by dinamo_zagreb, Dec 19, 2017.

  1. dinamo_zagreb

    dinamo_zagreb Member+

    Jun 27, 2010
    San Jose, CA / Zagreb, Croatia
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    Croatia
    The draw for the new editions of both cups was held last Wednesday.

    Format stays the same as in 2017 for both competitions. There are no midweek matches this season.

    Beside the draw, big news were announced. Club competitions will move to Fall-Spring format. It will start with transition season in 2018-19 and competitions held from December 2018 to May 2019 (shorter, likely altered format). Then, after 2019 CAN which will be held in June/July, club competitions will be played from August 2019 to May 2020 and so on.

    CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
    59 teams
    enter Champions League. Nine associations didn't enter their champion. 54 enter in Preliminary round, 27 winners are joined by five seeds in First round. Winners progress to Group stage, losers progress to Second round of Confederation Cup. Five seeds are title holders Wydad, Mamelodi Sundowns, TP Mazembe, Al-Ahly and Etoile du Sahel.

    Assuming there are no changes in calendar like this year, semifinals and final will be played on four consecutive weekends in October and November. Winner qualifies to 2018 FIFA Club World Cup.

    Preliminary round
    [​IMG]

    First round
    [​IMG]


    CONFEDERATION CUP
    54 teams
    start the competition (later joined by 16 CL teams). 14 nations did not enter. 44 teams will start in Preliminary round, 22 winners will be joined by 10 seeds in First round and 16 winners will be joined by 16 CL teams in Second round. 16 winners will progress to Group stage. Just like in the CL, there will be no midweek matches. Final will be played after CL final is held.

    Preliminary round
    [​IMG]

    First round
    [​IMG]
     
  2. dinamo_zagreb

    dinamo_zagreb Member+

    Jun 27, 2010
    San Jose, CA / Zagreb, Croatia
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    Croatia
    Both tournaments started this weekend. History was made few minutes ago as Difaa El Jadidi of Morocco trashed Benfica of Guinea-Bissau 10-0 and broke the record held by their countrymen from Raja (10-1 vs Tourbillon in 2011). Hamid Ahaddad scored five times.

    Awesome result today by Botswana's Township Rollers who won 3-0 at home against Sudanese Al-Merreikh. Nothing is over yet, Merreikh lost 3-0 last season at Nigerian Rivers United and won 4-0 at home to qualify to group stage.

    In part of the draw where we will surely see CL debutant, Guinean champion Horoya won 3-1 at AS FAN in Niger while Senegal side Generation Foot won 2-0 against Egyptian debutant Misr Lel-Makkasa. This is Horoya's eighth attempt, sixth in last seven seasons, they never managed to qualify. Huge chance for them and also for Guinean football who never had group stage team.
     
  3. dinamo_zagreb

    dinamo_zagreb Member+

    Jun 27, 2010
    San Jose, CA / Zagreb, Croatia
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    Croatia
    Twisted 90 minutes of football in Ghana.

    Asante Kotoko hosted CARA Brazzaville in Confederation Cup. Fans saw five penalties, four for the home side and only one converted penalty - hosts scored in 94th to claim 1-0 win.

    MC Alger fell 2-0 in Congo against Otoho who successfully marked their debut. Nigerian champs Plateau opened their CL campaign with 3-0 win against Eding from Cameroon. Mbabane Swallows, VITA Club and Primeiro do Agosto seem to be qualified to the next round of the CL.
     
  4. dinamo_zagreb

    dinamo_zagreb Member+

    Jun 27, 2010
    San Jose, CA / Zagreb, Croatia
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    Croatia
    Return legs are today and tomorrow. We know first match-up of the final knock-out round prior group stage, and it's funny - WAC plays WAC. Williamsville Athletic Club of Cote d'Ivoire will face (struggling) title holder Wydad Athletic Club.

    Al Hilal Omdurman is three goals up against LISCR and will play in first round where they will face Togo Port or Leopards of Congo. Likely another group stage qualification for them.

    Setif also qualified with 6-0 aggregate win over Real Bangui. They wait for their opponent, it will be debutant Al-Tahhady or Aduana Stars.


    In the Confed Cup we saw drama in Guinea, where Benin side Energie scored in 93rd to qualify over home side Hafia and to play against Nigerian and African giant Enyimba. Last year's finalist SuperSport United will face Angolan side Petro Atletico, should be fun match.
     
  5. dinamo_zagreb

    dinamo_zagreb Member+

    Jun 27, 2010
    San Jose, CA / Zagreb, Croatia
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    Croatia
    Wow, few exciting results after first legs. Togolese Togo Port defeated Al-Hilal Omdurmand 2-0. Swaziland's Mbabane Swallows won at Zanaco 1-2 and yesterday Botwsana's Township Rollers won 2-1 at Young Africans. There might be 5-6 teams that will mark their debuts in the CCL.

    TP Mazembe and Al-Ahly both won 4-0 and secured qualification while Etoile du Sahel had 4-0 against Plateau, but Nigerians scored twice to take home some hope.
     
  6. dinamo_zagreb

    dinamo_zagreb Member+

    Jun 27, 2010
    San Jose, CA / Zagreb, Croatia
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    Croatia
    Six teams set for group stage debut in the CL, five new leagues have CL group stage representative while two have group stage representation for the first time ever (Botswana, Togo).

    All hail Mbabane Swallows of Swaziland, KCCA of Uganda, Township Rollers of Botswana, Horoya of Guinea, Togo-Port of Togo and Difaa El Jadidi of Morocco. Togolese team is in their first CL season ever.

    Notable comeback is Primeiro do Agosto who qualified for the second time - first one was in the first edition in 2017.

    Nigeria once again without a team (they have four in CC playoff, though), no teams from Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Ghana is without team for the sixth straight season.

    Decision to go up to 16 teams was awesome. Awesome confederation!


    In the Confederation Cup Egyptian giant Zamalek crashed to Ethiopian minnows Welayta Dicha who are in their first continental campaign ever. Cape Town City lost 2-1 at home after winning 1-0 away and is also out.
     
  7. dinamo_zagreb

    dinamo_zagreb Member+

    Jun 27, 2010
    San Jose, CA / Zagreb, Croatia
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    Croatia
    Champions League draw was made today.

    A:
    Al-Ahly, Township Rollers, Kampala City, Esperance [​IMG]

    B: TP Mazembe, MC Alger, Difaa El Jadidi, Setif (two Algerian teams together [​IMG])

    C: Togo-Port, Mamelodi Sundowns, Wydad Casablanca, Horoya

    D: ZESCO, Primeiro do Agosto, Etoile du Sahel, Mbabane Swallows


    In the Confederation Cup, Plateau plays USM Alger, Bidvest Wits plays Enyimba. Rwandan side Rayon Sports plays Mozambique vice-champs Costa do Sol, Kenyan Gor Mahia plays SuperSport. Fosa Juniors of Madagascar plays Aduana Stars. Rwanda, Madagascar and Kenya are the only countries left in the draw that never had group stage team in any competition.
     
  8. Ndlovu-khosi

    Ndlovu-khosi New Member

    Oct 23, 2016
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
     
  9. Ndlovu-khosi

    Ndlovu-khosi New Member

    Oct 23, 2016
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Good groups, wish all the southern African teams do well. The confederation looks to have exciting teams as well. It's sad that cape town city dropped out but I wish the other two South African teams go to the group stage.
     
  10. EvanJ

    EvanJ Member+

    Manchester United
    United States
    Mar 30, 2004
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Does the Mozambique league use the term "vice-champs"? I've never heard of a league doing that. What is the word for being from Mozambique? Is it Mozambiquan?
     
  11. dinamo_zagreb

    dinamo_zagreb Member+

    Jun 27, 2010
    San Jose, CA / Zagreb, Croatia
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    Croatia
    I don't know if they use that word, but 2nd-placed team is vice-champ, right? :D

    The term should be Mozambican.
     
  12. pogoss

    pogoss Member

    Wydad Casablanca
    Morocco
    Jan 15, 2017
    Japan
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    Morocco
    Tight group B

    my expectations :
    A : Al Ahly + Esperance
    B : Mazembe + MC Alger
    C ; Wydad + Mamelodi
    D : Zesco + Etoile du Sahel
     
  13. EvanJ

    EvanJ Member+

    Manchester United
    United States
    Mar 30, 2004
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Through four matchdays, three clubs have clinched a spot in the Quarterfinals, including both Tunisian clubs, Espérance de Tunis and Etoile du Sahel, along with TP Mazembe. pogoss's predictions have 7 of the 8 clubs as of now, with 1º de Agosto in second and his predicted ZESCO United in last.
    Fios, my TV provider in the United States, may stop showing beIN Sports, which shows the CAF Champions League.
     
  14. aegibson

    aegibson Member

    Liverpool FC and Enyimba
    United States
    Nov 25, 1999
    Hayward, CA, USA
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Xfinity dropped it today. I use Sling TV's World Sport package.
     
  15. EvanJ

    EvanJ Member+

    Manchester United
    United States
    Mar 30, 2004
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  16. dinamo_zagreb

    dinamo_zagreb Member+

    Jun 27, 2010
    San Jose, CA / Zagreb, Croatia
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    Croatia
    Primeiro do Agosto defeated TP Mazembe on away goals and qualified to semis, where they will face Esperance Tunis who defeated Etoile du Sahel.

    Titile holder is eliminated after 0-0 at home against ES Setif. Last semifinalist and Setif's opponent is Al-Ahly who knocked out Guinea's Horoya.

    Semifinal matches will be played on midweek dates - Oct 2-3 and Oct 23-24 with first legs in Angola and Egypt.

    Final is scheduled for weekends Nov 2-3 and Nov 9-10.


    New season under new calendar (fall-spring) starts on Nov 27-28. It will surely start earlier in season 2019/2020, this will be only for transition tournament - I was expecting quicker tournament, maybe just straight knockout, but they decided for same format in four months shorter period. Same applies for Confederation Cup.
     
  17. dinamo_zagreb

    dinamo_zagreb Member+

    Jun 27, 2010
    San Jose, CA / Zagreb, Croatia
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    Croatia
    Confederation Cup semifinal is set.

    Enyimba trashed Rayon Sport today (5-1) and will host Raja Casablanca who defeated CARA Brazzaville. Al-Masry defeated USMA 1-0 in both legs and will host Vita Club who were victorious against Berkane of Morroco.

    Raja is the only club between the semifinalists with title in this competition. They won it in 2003. Vita will try to continue Congo DR's streak as TP Mazembe won titles in 2016 and 2017.

    First legs will be played on 3 October. Return legs are three weeks later.
     

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