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The draw for the group stages of the 2021-22 TotalEnergies CAF Champions League was conducted on Tuesday, December 28 in Cairo, paving the way for what is expected to be an interesting round of matches to be crowned the King of African football.
Here are some reactions from Coaches and Managers on the draw, with matches expected to start in February 2022, right after the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations, Cameroon 2021.
Pitso Mosimane – Coach, Al Ahly
When you are a coach for a team like Al Ahly you are under pressure all the time. We won it twice, so why not a third successive time? It won’t be easy, but I have the team for that.
Our group is a tough one, but so are all the groups. This is a tournament where you can expect anything. There are many big teams, and they are all favorites. But our target is to win the Champions League for the 11th time.
Leonardo Neva – Coach, Al Merreikh
The draw has placed us in a very difficult group. But playing in this top tournament we cannot choose our opponents, and this therefore calls for very good preparations. Now our focus will be the first match away to Al Ahly because they are the champions. But we must believe in our abilities to perform well.
Joao Mota – Coach, Al Hilal
I consider our group the strongest because we have the champions and our rivals Al Merriekh. But we must have the ambition and a clear goal of reaching the next stage of the CAF Champions League. Our club is among the best supported clubs in Africa and the support of the 12th player will make a big difference in this stage. Facing Al Merreikh is a true derby and with a derby it is always a tough battle.
Patrice Carteron – Coach, Zamalek
It’s a tough group, but we will be ready. We are ready to face any opponent. We will do our best to win the group and go for the title itself. I know a lot about Moroccan and Angolan football, so we know our opponents well.
Lucas Domingues – Director, Sagrada Esperanca
This is our first time in the group stage and the draw is a tough one. We hope to get good results against giants like Wydad and Zamalek. They are sides with big history and facing them will be very tough. We will do our best in this group.
Joao Silva – Director, Petro Atletico
Facing Wydad and Zamalek won’t be easy. Also, the All-Angolan game will be just as tough. We are happy to be with Sagrada Esperanca in the same group because we know each other well, and this will spare us one flight. Our wish is to reach the next round together because this would be great for Angolan football.
