Tough dates await Tusker and Gor in Caf fixtures

Daniel Sakari (R) of Tusker FC tackled by Eman Abdelghany of Zamalek FC of Egypt during their first-round Caf Champions League match at Nyayo national stadium on 16, 2021. [Stafford Ondego, Standard]

Local champions Tusker and Gor Mahia will battle North and Central African sides respectively in the CAF Confederation Cup additional second preliminary round, according to draws announced yesterday.

The reigning FKF Premier League champions, Tusker, will play CS Sfaxien of Tunisia in the second round of the Caf Confederation Cup. The brewers will host the first leg next month.

On the other side, record Kenyan champions Gor Mahia will face Association Sportive Otohô of Congo in the same stage of the competition. K’Ogalo will start away in Congo.

Tusker were knocked out of the Caf Champions League in the preliminary round after a 5-0 aggregate loss to Egyptian champions Zamalek.

Gor, however, advanced to the final preliminary round of the Confederation Cup thanks to a walkover they received after their opponents Al Ahly Merowe of Sudan withdrew from the competition. K’Ogalo had won the first leg 3-1 played at the New Suez Canal.

Gor will launch their quest for the group stage spot away in Kinshasa on November 28 while the FKF Premier League champions will welcome the championship record-winners CS Sfaxien in Nairobi before flying to Tunis for the return leg a week later.

Last season, Gor participated in the CAF Champions League where they were knocked out in the first round after an 8-1 aggregate loss to Belouizdad of Algeria.

The 19-time Kenya champions were then relegated to the Confederation Cup where they were knocked out again after losing 3-2 to Napsa Stars of Zambia.

The best result K'Ogalo posted in the Caf Confederation Cup was in the 2018-2019 season when they reached the quarter-finals. Gor were knocked out after a 7-1 defeat on aggregate to RS Berkane of Morocco.

Meanwhile, just as Tusker, Otoho are in the last round of the qualifiers in this competition after being dumped out of the Champions League by Petro de Luanda on a 4-2 aggregate.

Tunisian side Sfaxien are in the last round of the qualifiers after dumping out Nigeria’s Bayelsa United in the previous qualification round.

This year’s Confederation Cup has big teams that include South African giants Orlando Pirates, Nigerian champions Enyimba FC and TP Mazembe of DRC Congo.

The play-off round first-leg matches are scheduled for November 28, while the second-leg games will take place on December 5.

The 16 winners on aggregate will progress to the group stage.