ZIMBABWE champions Caps United have been handed a tough route in their Caf Champions League campaign starting off with Lesotho minnows Lioli in the preliminary stage before taking on African football giants TP Mazembe in the first round proper.
BY SPORTS REPORTER
In a draw conducted in Cairo, Egypt, yesterday, the Green Machine make the trip to Maseru for the preliminary round first leg before welcoming the side in the second leg in Harare a week later.
It should be an easy win for the Lloyd Chitembwe’s men against Lioli, but awaiting in the first round are continental heavy weights TP Mazembe.
Now that’s a mammoth task for the local champions, who are making their first appearance in Africa’s premier club competition since 2006.
TP Mazembe are perennial campaigners in the prestigious tournament in which they have lifted the continental crown five times. The wealthy club are the current holders of the Caf Confederation Cup.
Caf has cut the two-legged qualifying phase from three rounds to two and the group stage have been expanded from eight to 16 teams, divided into four groups of four clubs. The 16 winners of the first round advance to the group stage, while the 16 losers of the first round enter the Confederation Cup play-off round.
Caps United have set themselves a target of reaching the group stages of the money-spinning competition and it remains to be seen whether they would go all the way.
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They have never reached the group stage of the tournament after three attempts in 1997, 2005 and 2006 with their best achievement being qualification into the second round on two occasions.
In the event Caps qualifies for the group stage, they are guaranteed to pocket $550 000, being money given for finishing fourth and third in the group.
It is $650 000 for all quarter-finalists and $875 000 for the semi-finalists while the runner-ups take home $1 250 000, 25% better than the $1 million they were getting initially
The overall cash prize for the 2017 champions has been boosted with a 66,67% increment from $1,5m to $2,5m.
Meanwhile, Ngezi Platinum will begin their Caf Confederation Cup campaign with a clash against Pamplemousses of Mauritius in a two-legged preliminary round.
If they manage to advance to the next stage, the Tonderai Ndiraya-coached side will play Recreativo do Libolo of Angola
The 16 winners of the first round advance to the play-off round, where they are joined by the 16 losers of the Champions League first round.
The 16 winners of the play-off round advance to the group stage.
Caps United and Ngezi Platinum are away in the first leg for both the preliminary and the first round.
The preliminary round ties in the Champions League and Confederation Cup will be played on the weekends of February 10-12 and 17-19‚ with the first round ties on the weekends of March 10-12 and 17-19.
