Friday: APR FC v Les Aigles du Congo, Amahoro Stadium, 6PM APR FC head coach Abderrahim Taleb says his side is focused on overturning a first-leg deficit when they host DR Congo’s Les Aigles du Congo in the return leg of the CAF Champions League first preliminary round at Amahoro Stadium on Friday evening. The Rwandan champions continued preparations on Wednesday with an intense training session at Amahoro Stadium as players and technical staff fine-tuned their tactics. APR trail 1-0 from the first leg in Lubumbashi, where Soze Zemanga scored the only goal to give Les Aigles du Congo the advantage. Taleb said he was confident his squad could respond to the setback. “Playing in front of our supporters gives us extra motivation, and we must show the right mentality from the first minute,” he said. APR will be without midfielder Ronald Ssekiganda, who is suspended after receiving a red card in the first leg. The absence of the Ugandan international is a setback, but Taleb said the team has enough depth to cope. “Every player is important, but football is about the collective. We have players ready to step in and give everything for the team. Our focus is on delivering a disciplined and effective performance,” he noted. APR will look to make home advantage count, with a large crowd expected at Amahoro Stadium. Vice-captain Yunusu Nshimiyimana has also expressed confidence that the team can overturn the deficit. Other CAF Champions League fixtures: Elsewhere, several clubs take slender advantages into the return legs of the first preliminary round. Egyptian champions Pyramids FC beat Kenya’s Gor Mahia 2-0 away, while five-time African champions TP Mazembe secured a 1-0 win over Ghana’s Medeama SC. Tanzanian giants Simba SC also take a 1-0 advantage against Malawi’s Mighty Wanderers. Sudan’s Al Hilal are better placed after a 2-0 away win over Burundi’s Aigle Noir. Angola’s Wiliete recorded one of the biggest first-leg wins, beating Seychelles’ Foresters FC 4-0, while Morocco’s Maghreb de Fès defeated Rahimo FC 4-1. Orlando Pirates and Mauritian debutants La Cure Waves played out a goalless draw, leaving that tie finely balanced ahead of the return leg. CAF has confirmed that clubs eliminated in the preliminary stages will receive a $100,000 support package, while the Champions League winners will earn $6 million.
