Four Nigerian clubs begin their continental campaigns this weekend as the preliminary rounds of the CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup get underway.
Rangers International and Rivers United will represent Nigeria in the Champions League, while Shooting Stars and El-Kanemi Warriors compete in the Confederation Cup.
All four must survive two qualifying rounds to reach the group stage.
The first-leg matches will be played between Saturday and Sunday, with the return fixtures scheduled for next weekend.
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Each club enters with a different level of experience and expectation. Together, their results will provide another measure of the strength of the Nigeria Premier Football League against opposition from elsewhere on the continent.
Shooting Stars return after 27 years
Shooting Stars face arguably the most difficult opening tie. The Ibadan club host Tunisia’s CS Sfaxien at the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abeokuta on Saturday, with kick-off scheduled for 4:00 pm Nigerian time.
It will be Shooting Stars’ first continental appearance in 27 years.
Their history in African football remains significant. Shooting Stars became Nigeria’s first continental champions by winning the African Cup Winners’ Cup in 1976 and later lifted the inaugural CAF Cup in 1992.
The club also reached the African Champions Cup final in 1984 and the CAF Champions League final in 1996.
That history offers little protection against Sfaxien.
The Tunisian club have won the CAF Confederation Cup three times under its current name and also lifted its predecessor, the CAF Cup, in 1998. They arrive with far more recent continental experience than their Nigerian opponents.
Sfaxien have also begun their domestic season positively, beating Esperance Zarzis 2-1 before travelling to Nigeria.
Shooting Stars opened their NPFL campaign with a 2-1 victory over Inter Lagos. That result gave Salisu Yusuf’s side momentum, but the level of opposition will rise sharply on Saturday.
The first-leg location is important.
With the return match taking place in Sfax on September 13, Shooting Stars must try to establish an advantage in Abeokuta without leaving themselves vulnerable to an away goal or a damaging counterattack.
If they eliminate Sfaxien, they will face either AFAD of Ivory Coast or Sierra Leone’s East End Lions in the next round.
Rivers United begin away from home
Rivers United travel to Ivory Coast to face FC San Pedro in the CAF Champions League.
The first leg takes place at the Laurent Pokou Stadium on Saturday, beginning at 5:00 pm Nigerian time.
Rivers have become one of Nigeria’s more regular continental representatives. They reached the Confederation Cup quarter-finals in consecutive seasons but have found the Champions League group stage more difficult to access.
Finidi George’s side must now negotiate an away first leg against the Ivorian runners-up.
Beginning away from home offers a clear objective. Rivers need to remain in the tie and return to Nigeria with a result they can build on.
An away victory would give them control. A draw, particularly one containing goals, would also leave the Port Harcourt club in a useful position before the return fixture.
The danger is allowing San Pedro to establish a lead large enough to change the nature of the second leg.
Rivers began the NPFL season with a 2-0 victory and travelled to Ivory Coast with confidence.
If they advance, they will meet Uganda’s Vipers SC or FC Nouadhibou of Mauritania for a place in the group stage.
Rangers attempt another Champions League run
NPFL champions Rangers International host AS Sobemap of Benin Republic on Sunday.
The match will also be played at the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abeokuta.
Rangers reached the Champions League group stage in their previous campaign but failed to progress further. Fidelis Ilechukwu’s side now have an opportunity to use that experience.
Their domestic season began with a frustrating 1-1 draw against Katsina United. Rangers created opportunities but failed to make enough of them.
Ilechukwu has spent the week attempting to correct that problem.
AS Sobemap won the Beninese championship to qualify for the competition. They should not carry the same reputation as some of the North African clubs Rangers could meet later, but preliminary-round ties are often decided by how well teams manage unfamiliar opposition, difficult travel and small moments across two matches.
Rangers must make home advantage count in Abeokuta.
If they progress, they will face either ASN Nigelec of Niger Republic or Algerian club MC Alger in the second preliminary round.
That potential meeting with MC Alger makes the importance of building confidence in the opening tie even greater.
El-Kanemi begin against UDIB
President Federation Cup winners El-Kanemi Warriors face Guinea-Bissau’s União Desportiva Internacional de Bissau in the Confederation Cup.
The first leg is scheduled for Sunday, with El-Kanemi playing at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne.
El-Kanemi return to the competition after earning their place through the Federation Cup.
Compared with Shooting Stars’ meeting with Sfaxien, the opening draw appears more manageable. It must still be treated carefully.
Information about UDIB will be less readily available than it is for the leading North African clubs. El-Kanemi’s preparation will therefore depend on their ability to study limited footage, understand their opponents quickly and avoid conceding unnecessary opportunities.
The reward for advancing is daunting.
Moroccan giants Raja Casablanca are waiting in the next round.
Nigeria need more than participation
Nigeria will begin the weekend with four clubs in CAF competition.
The more important number will be how many remain when the group stages begin.
Nigerian clubs have struggled to translate the size, history and popularity of the domestic game into consistent continental results. Enyimba remain the country’s only CAF Champions League winners, having lifted the trophy in 2003 and 2004.
No Nigerian club has won either of CAF’s principal men’s club competitions since Enyimba’s second title.
There have been promising runs, particularly from Rivers United in the Confederation Cup, but too many campaigns have ended before the group stage.
The reasons are familiar.
Clubs begin continental competition while still building their squads. Travel arrangements can be difficult. Home matches are sometimes moved away from familiar stadiums because venues fail CAF inspections. Players who earn qualification may leave before the campaign begins.
These challenges do not remove the expectation.
Rangers and Rivers United are among the NPFL’s strongest teams. Shooting Stars carry one of Nigerian football’s richest continental histories. El-Kanemi arrive as national cup winners.
Shooting Stars and Rangers need home victories in Abeokuta. El-Kanemi must take control in Ikenne. Rivers United must return from Ivory Coast with their hopes intact.
Four clubs begin the journey.
Nigeria needs as many of them as possible to remain when the serious stage of African club football begins.
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