Kaizer Chiefs | It’s a very big CAF Champions League day!

As Kaizer Chiefs prepare to begin their CAF Champions League campaign against Horoya on Tuesday at the FNB Stadium, Amakhosi fans will remember that it was on 7 February 1993 when the Soweto giants first participated in the competition.

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They were South Africa’s first representatives in Africa’s Premier Continental Competition.

It was a journey to Gaborone in February 1993 which saw Chiefs begin their first odyssey into continental competition as Amakhosi defeated Extension Gunners in the first leg of their Preliminary Round tie 1-0.

Twenty-eight years later, Kaizer Chiefs are now moving into a new phase of competing on the continent as they take on Horoya in what will be – finally – Kaizer Chiefs’ first game in the group stages of the CAF Champions League.

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Kaizer Chiefs were meant to have already started their CAF Champions League campaign, but their trip to Morocco for their Group C opener against Wydad Casablanca on 13 February was cancelled after not being issued with the visas.

They will now open up against the Guineans who won their opening group match 2-0 against Petro de Luanda of Angola.

The match against Horoya is Kaizer Chiefs’ first meeting against Guinean opposition in African club competition.

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However, for Horoya this is their fifth game against a PSL opposition, having faced Mamelodi Sundowns in 2018 and Orlando Pirates in 2018/19 in home and away ties. All these meetings were in the group stages of the CAF Champions League.

Horoya also faced Bidvest Wits in the 2019/20 CAF Confederations Cup group stages. The first match between sides in Johannesburg ended 0-0 while Horoya won their home clash 2-1. Gavin Hunt was coach of Bidvest Wits at the time and will be facing them in continental competition for a second time.

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Horoya’s previous four CAF Champions League group stage encounters against South African clubs in 2018 against Mamelodi Sundowns saw both games end in draws while against Orlando Pirates in 2018/19 they lost in South Africa 3-0 and won their home game 2-1.

Horoya have on the two previous occasions they have been drawn alongside South African clubs managed to progress to the quarter-finals ahead of their Mzansi opponents – a stat that Kaizer Chiefs will be looking to alter.

Horoya have failed to score in their two previous matches in South Africa in the CAF Champions League.

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Amakhosi have made a sound start to their 2020/21 CAF Champions League campaign.

They started by defeating Cameroonian side PWD Bamenda 1-0 on aggregate in the preliminary round and then won by the same aggregate score-line against Angolan outfit Primeiro De Agosto in the first round.

Kaizer Chiefs are undefeated in their last five games in the CAF Champions League and have gone a total of 397 minutes in the competition without having their defence breached.

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Should Kaizer Chiefs go undefeated, it will be the first time in the CAF Champions League that they would have gone six matches without losing.

While this is Kaizer Chiefs first match against Horoya, Khama Billiat scored against them in a group stage game in the CAF Champions League in May 2018 in Guinea for Mamelodi Sundowns, a game which ended 2-2, while Anthony Akumu Agay was in the Zesco United team that defeated them 4-3 on aggregate and eliminated them in the first round from the CAF Champions League in 2016.

Tuesday, 23 February’s match will kick off at 18:00 and in keeping with CAF protocol, it will be played without any spectators at the FNB Stadium.

Kaizer Chiefs will be aiming to kick-start their campaign with a win against Horoya who are in the group stages for the 11th time.

Kaizer Chiefs are the sixth different South African club to participate in the CAF Champions League along with Ajax Cape Town, Mamelodi Sundowns, Manning Rangers, Orlando Pirates and SuperSport United.

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