After seeing off Eloi Lupopo at the previous round, Sudanese torchbearers, Ahly Shandy will be seeking to add Ghana’s Medeama to their list of victims when they host the latter in the first leg of the 1/8th round on Sunday, in the northern Sudanese city of Shandy.

Reaching this round has opened the gate for a repeat of the remarkable performance in 2012, when Ahly Shandy, then guided by Tunisian Mohamed Al Kouki reached the group stage of the secondary continental club championship for their first time.

It was a great feat for a club that had been promoted to the Sudanese top flight in 2011, and easing past notable clubs like Simba of Tanzania and Ferroviario of Mozambique to the group stage on their first attempt in a continental club championship.

They were later drawn in the same group with fellows El Hilal and El Merreikh as Sudan for the first time had three clubs in the same group.

Ever since, Ahly Shandy has lived in the shadows of their fairytale run. This year represents their fifth successive appearance in the CAF Confederation Cup and they have set sights on reaching the last eight for a second time.

In Brazil-born coach Ricardo Heron, a familiar face in African football after stints with Hilal and Merreikh as well as Ismaily of Egypt, Shandy has a man who knows the ins and out of the continental club championship.

The build-up to the game is one that will send some shivers down spine of their Ghanaian guests, a 3-0 away win over Al Nil last Monday in the Sudan Premier League. Three days earlier, Shandy thrashed Al Nsoor 6-0 at home.

The composition of their squad is a blend of youth and experience with Sudan Olympic team members such as goalkeeper Yassin Yussuf, versatile Mujahid Farooq and striker Ahmed Nasreldin counting among their reliable stars.

They can also rely on Ivorian-import Mohamed Sela, Nigeria-born defender Malik Isaac and veteran forward Kelechi Osunwa in their quest for a convincing result against the current Ghana knockout champions.

Fixtures

Friday, 8 April 2016

FUS Rabat (Morocco) vs SC Villa (Uganda)

 Saturday, 9 April 2016

Zanaco (Zambia) vs Stade Gabesien (Tunisia)

MC Oran (Algeria) vs Kawkab Marrakech (Morocco)

CS Constantine (Algeria) vs Misr Makkassa (Egypt)

Sunday, 10 April 2016

CF Mounana (Gabon) vs ENPPI (Egypt)

Azam (Tanzania) vs Esperance (Tunisia)

Vita Club Mokanda (Congo) vs Sagrada Esperanca (Angola)

Ahly Shandy (Sudan) vs Medeama (Ghana)

Collins Okinyo

Ex- CAF Media Expert. An expert on African football with over 15 years experience ,always with an ear to the ground with indepth knowledge of the game. I have worked for top publications including 7 years at www.supersport.com until i founded www.soka25east.com to quench the thirst of football lovers across the continent. I have trained young upcoming journalists who are now a voice in African football.I have covered World Cup,AFCON,CHAN,Champions League,Confederations Cup,Cecafa,Cosafa,Wafu and many other football tournaments across the World. Founder Football Africa Arena(FAA),Founder www.afrisportdigital.com