KCCA targets improved performance
Uganda champions, Kampala City Council Authority (KCCA) have vowed to perform much better in this year’s premier continental club championship.
The ‘Kasasiro Boys’ will travel for their first leg tie away to CNAPS of Madagascar in the preliminary round.
“We reached the CAF Confederation Cup group stage last year and our target is the CAF Champions League group stage now,” coach Mike Hillary Mutebi told Cafonline.com on Wednesday.
The Ugandan giants are expected to travel to Antananarivo on Thursday ahead of the tricky game on Saturday where they need to get a good result to make the return leg a mere formality.
Mutebi said after their build-up games in Kenya and a Uganda Cup game last weekend, his players are in good form and ready to grind out a good result in Madagascar.
The team will however miss the services of attacking midfielder Muzamir Mutyaba for this weekend’s clash, after sustaining an injury whilst on duty with the Cranes at the just ended Total African Nations Championship Morocco 2018.
Furthermore, Mutebi has made it clear that it is important that KCCA perform well on the continent because it will help develop football in the country at many stages.
“Last year we had a societal problem where Ugandans did not believe we could perform well because we were facing seasoned and tested clubs. But now we are ready,” added the coach.
The team will look to key players like Derrick Nsibambi, scorer of Uganda’s only goal at the CHAN tournament, midfielder Ibrahim Saddam Juma and striker Muhammad Shaban who was the top scorer in the 2017 COSAFA U-20 Championship that took place in Zambia last December.
There are over 25 matches scheduled for the weekend in the first leg matches of the preliminary round. The second leg matches will take place next weekend with the winners advancing to the 1/16
Meanwhile holders Wydad Athletic Club of Motrocco, Al Ahly (Egypt), Etoile du Sahel (Tunisia), Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa) and TP Mazembe (DR Congo) have drawn a bye at the prelims
Fixtures
Saturday, 10 February 2018
CNaPs Sport (Madagascar) vs KCCA (Uganda)
Zanaco (Zambia) vs Armed Forces (Gambia)
Stade Malien (Mali) vs Williamsville AC (Cote d’Ivoire)
RC Kadiogo (Burkina Faso) vs Mounana (Gabon)
AS FAN (Niger) vs Horoya (Guinea)
Generation Foot (Senegal) vs Makkassa (Egypt)
Young Africans (Tanzania) vs Saint Louis (Seychelles)
Township Rollers (Botswana) vs El Merreikh (Sudan)
Gor Mahia (Kenya) vs Leones Vegatarianos (Equatorial Guinea)
Concorde (Mauritania) vs Esperance (Tunisia)
AC Leopards (Congo) vs AS Port (Togo)
JKU (Zanzibar) vs Zesco (Zambia)
Difaa El Jadida (Morocco) vs Benfica (Guinea Bissau)
Bidvest (South Africa) vs Pamplemousses (Mauritius)
Rayon Sports (Rwanda) vs Lydia Academic (Burundi)
Sunday, 11 February 2018
Saint George (Ethiopia) vs Al Salam Wau (South Sudan)
Bantu (Lesotho) vs Mbabane Swallows (Swaziland)
El Tahadi (Libya) vs Aduana (Ghana)
ES Setif (Algeria) vs Olympic de Bangui (Central African Republic)
AS Real (Mali) vs MFM (Nigeria)
AS Otoho (Congo) vs MC Alger (Algeria)
Plateau United (Nigeria) vs Eding Sport (Cameroon)
LISCR (Liberia) vs El Hilal (Sudan)
Buffles (Benin) vs ASEC Mimosas (Cote d’Ivoire)
Ngaya (Comoros) vs UD Songo (Mozambique)
AS Vita (DR Congo) vs Be Forward (Malawi)
Primeiro de Agosto (Angola) vs FC Platinum (Zimbabwe)