The reigning champions, Al Ahly from Egypt, are set to defend their African Champions League title against Sudan’s Al Hilal in the quarter-finals, following the draw held in Qatar on Thursday.
This match-up is a positive development for Ahly, who had a shaky performance in the group stage, finishing second in their group. Nevertheless, they boast an impressive record against teams from Sudan.
Due to the ongoing civil conflict in Sudan, Al Hilal has relocated to Mauritania, where they are currently competing in the national league and will host the second leg of their quarter-final in Nouakchott on April 8-9.
The draw included six clubs from North Africa and two from South Africa. Tunisia’s Esperance is set to face South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns in a repeat of last season’s semi-final, which Esperance won 2-0 on aggregate.
During that encounter, Esperance was guided by Portuguese coach Miguel Cardoso, who has since taken over at Sundowns, a club owned by the family of Patrice Motsepe, the president of the Confederation of African Football.
Draw (the team listed first will host the first leg):
Quarter-finals (First leg April 1-2, Second leg April 8-9)
QF1 Al Ahly (Egypt) vs Al Hilal (Sudan)
QF2 Pyramids (Egypt) vs Royal Armed Forces (Morocco)
QF3 Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa) vs Esperance (Tunisia)
QF4 Mouloudia Alger (Algeria) vs Orlando Pirates (South Africa)
Semi-finals (First leg April 18-19, Second leg April 25-26)
SF1 QF3 vs QF1
SF2 QF4 vs QF2
Final (First leg May 24, Second leg June 1)
SF1 vs SF2
Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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