Sundowns draw AS Vita again in Champions League group stages

26 April 2017 - 18:36 By Mark Gleeson
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African Champions League holders Mamelodi Sundowns will have a reunion with Congolese outfit AS Vita Club‚ who they lost to last year but who then offered the South Africans a fairytale path to victory after being disqualified.

The two clubs were paired together at the African Champions League draw‚ conducted at the Confederation of African Football headquarters in Cairo on Wednesday.

Sundowns are also up against Esperance of Tunisia‚ another former continental champion‚ plus newcomers St George from Ethiopia.

The opening game of the group phase for the Brazilians will likely be their easiest of all their assignments in Group C – against St George of Ethiopia in Pretoria on May 13.

  • SuperSport United refuse to give up title chaseSuperSport United are not giving up on the Absa Premiership title race‚ a 1-0 win against Bidvest Wits at Bidvest Stadium on Tuesday night having brought them back from the brink of slipping out of the race. 

Vita edged Sundowns on the away goals rule in last year’s third round but Sundowns got a back door entry to the group phase when Vita were found to have used a suspended player and kicked out of the competition.

Sundowns made the most of their opportunity to go on and win the Champions League last October in a major fillip for South African football.

  • Irate SuperSport United officials give Safa and Stuart Baxter an ultimatumAn annoyed SuperSport United will give the South African Football Association until the middle of next week to conclude their negotiations with Stuart Baxter on the vacant Bafana Bafana coaching position. 

In the African Confederation Cup‚ both Platinum Stars and SuperSport United were handed stiff tests but will get to start their campaign at home on the weekend of May 13-14.

SuperSport United’s group includes holders TP Mazembe Englebert of the Democratic Republic of Congo plus two other Francophone teams – CF Mounana from Gabon and Horoya from Guinea.

SuperSport will begin at home against Horoya‚ who were African champions in the 70s.

  • Sundowns beat Ajax Cape Town to keep title hopes aliveFor some time it appeared as if Mamelodi Sundowns were going to drop two crucial home points with a pedestrian display but they dug deep to eventually overpower and beat Ajax Cape Town 2-0 in Pretoria on Tuesday night. 

Platinum Stars have two tough north African opponents in their group in Algeria’s Mouloudia Alger of Algeria and CS Sfaxien of Tunisia.

But they also get to save significant costs by having Mbabane Swallows in their group. The Swazis are participating in the group phase for the first time after shock results in the preliminary rounds.

Stars will begin against Mouloudia Alger on the weekend of May 13-14.

The group phase of both competitions are played at the same time.

  • Sacked Sakala set for court showdown with former employers BarokaBottom-of-the log Baroka FC are headed to a possible legal showdown with former coach Jacob Sakala who was fired recently after a disciplinary hearing. 

The second match day is midweek on May 23-24‚ the third on the weekend of June 2-4‚ the fourth midweek on June 20-21 followed by the weekends of July 1-2 and July 7-9.

The top two finishers in each group advanced to the quarter-finals in September.

Champions League draw:

Group A:

Ferroviario Beira (Mozambique)

Al Hilal

Al Merreikh (both Sudan)

Etoile Sahel (Tunisia)

Group B:

  • Cape Town City beat Kaizer Chiefs to reclaim top spotJudas Moseamedi scrambled home a dramatic last gasp winner to keep Cape Town City top of the table as they handed Kaizer Chiefs’ hopes a hammer blow in a dramatic 3-2 triumph at the Cape Town Stadium on Tuesday night. 

USM Alger (Algeria)

Zamalek (Egypt)

Al Ahli Tripoli (Libya)

CAPS United (Zimbabwe)

Group C:

AS Vita Club (DR Congo)

St George (Ethiopia)

Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa)

Esperance (Tunisia)

Group D:

  • SuperSport United sink Bidvest WitsBidvest Wits still lack that finest of edges that gains a team a steely consistency and makes them league champions, by the evidence of their 1-0 Absa Premiership defeat against SuperSport United on Tuesday night. 

Coton Sport (Cameroon)

Al Ahly (Egypt)

Wydad Casablanca (Morocco)

Zanaco (Zambia)

Confederation Cup draw

Group A:

FUS Rabat (Morocco)

Rivers United (Nigeria)

Club Africain (Tunisia)

Kampala Capital City Authority (Uganda)

Group B:

  • Maritzburg United tops Chippa United in a heated affairChippa United failed to break their winless deadlock in the Premier Soccer League when they lost 3-2 to Maritzburg United in a heated affair, at Nelson Mandela Stadium. 

Mouloudia Alger (Algeria)

Platinum Stars (South Africa)

Mbabane Swallows (Swaziland)

CS Sfaxien (Tunisia)

Group C:

Recreativo Libolo (Angola)

Smouha (Egypt)

Al Hilal Elobeid (Sudan)

Zesco United (Zambia)

Group D:

  • Eymael stands his ground and appeals PSL DRC decision ordering him back to PolokwaneLuc Eymael has decided to appeal of a dispute resolution chamber (DRC) decision ordering him back to old club Polokwane City from Bloemfontein Celtic. 

TP Mazembe Englebert (DR Congo)

CF Mounana (Gabon)

Horoya (Guinea)

SuperSport United (South Africa).

- TMG Digital/TMG Sport

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