AFRICANFOOTBALL PREVIEWS THE WEEKEND’S CHAMPIONS LEAGUE ACTION

AfricanFootball looks ahead to the weekend’s CAF Champions League group stage action, which will see eight matches played across the continent.

Matchday 1 gets underway with a busy Friday evening in North and East Africa, starting with a Group C clash between Tunisia’s Esperance de Tunis and DR Congo giants AS Vita at the Olympic Stadium in Rades.

Group A features a derby between Sudanese rivals Al Hilal and Al Merrikh in Omdurman, while Mozambique’s Ferroviario de Beira face a tough trip to Sousse to battle Etoile du Sahel.

After the rush of matches to start the weekend, Saturday sees just a pair of matches - but they feature two of the biggest names on the continent: title holders Mamelodi Sundowns will host Ethiopia’s Saint George in Tshwane, while eight-time champions Al Ahly will welcome Zambia’s Zanaco to the Borg El Arab Stadium outside of Alexandria.

The weekend wraps up with the final Group D clash on Sunday night, which sees Morocco’s Wydad Casablanca host Cameroon giants Coton Sport.

CAF Champions League fixtures
Group stage, Matchday 1, all times CAT

Friday 12 May
Group C - Esperance de Tunis v AS Vita, 17h00
Group A - Etoile du Sahel v Ferroviario de Beira, 19h00
Group B - USM Alger v Al Ahli Tripoli, 19h00
Group B - Zamalek v CAPS United, 21h00
Group A - Al Hilal v Al Merrikh, 21h00

Saturday 13 May
Group C - Mamelodi Sundowns v Saint George, 17h00
Group D - Al Ahly v Zanaco, 19h00

Sunday 14 May
Group D - Wydad Casablanca v Coton Sport, 22h00