APR to face Mozambican champions

Reigning national league champions APR will face Mozambican champions Liga Desportiva de Maputo in the preliminary round of the Caf Champions League with the first leg starting on February 13-15.

Monday, December 22, 2014
Midfielder Djamar Mwiseneza (R) will be hoping to do better with APR than he did with Rayon Sports this year in the Champions League. (T. Kisambira)

Selected fixtures:

APR vs Liga Desportiva de MaputoKampala CC vs Cosmos de BafiaAzam vs MerrikhEl Hilal vs KMKMLydia Ludic vs Kabuscorp do PalancasMC Eulma vs St GeorgeGor Mahia vs CNAPS

Reigning national league champions APR will face Mozambican champions Liga Desportiva de Maputo in the preliminary round of the Caf Champions League with the first leg starting on February 13-15.

The military side will host the first leg in Kigali and head coach Ljubomir Petrovic admitted that he does not know much about the Mozambican outfit.

"We are looking forward to this tie. It will not be easy for us but we have to do our best and try to win,” mentioned the Serbian tactician, who is managing for the first time in Africa.

The record 14-time league champions return to the continental tournament after a year’s absence following Rayon Sports’ league title in the 2012/2013 season. APR has represented Rwanda in the Caf Champions League 10 times since 1997 and their best performance was in the 2004 season when they reached the third round. On the continent, APR also reached the semi-finals of the Caf Winners’ Cup in 2003.

APR won both the league and Peace Cup last season but archrivals Rayon Sports will represent Rwanda in the Caf Confederations Cup.

Rayon Sports will take on Panthère Sportive du Ndé FC of Cameroon in the preliminary round of the Caf Confederation Cup with the first leg played in Bangangté between February 13-15 and the return leg will be played in Kigali between February 27-March 1.

Elsewhere in the Cecafa region, the tie between Tanzanian champions Azam FC and El Merreikh in the Caf Champions League is expected to be a cracker as the two sides meet in a repeat of the Cecafa Kagame Cup quarter-finals clash in Kigali in August.

Ugandan champions KCCA FC will face Cameroon’s Cosmos de Bafia while St George of Ethiopia will be up against MC Eulma of Algeria. Al Hilal will face KMKM of Zanzibar and Kenya’s Gor Mahia will face CNAPS from Madagascar. A total of 58 clubs were in the draw for the Caf Champions League while 56 teams were in the draw for the Caf Confederations Cup.

The reigning Caf Champions League winners ES Setif (Algeria), Coton Sport (Cameroon), AC Leopards (DR Congo), Al Ahly (Egypt) and TP Mazembe (DR Congo) were exempted from the preliminary round.