Stellenbosch chase upset in Cairo as CAFCC quarterfinals close out

South Africa’s Stellenbosch FC will chase an upset result in Cairo against Egyptian heavyweights Zamalek when the CAF Confederation Cup quarterfinals conclude with four matches across the African continent on Wednesday.

Stellies held the White Knights – the reigning Confed Cup champions – 0-0 in the first leg clash in Cape Town last midweek. The result means the up-and-coming club from the Cape Winelands is just a scoring draw away from a first-ever continental semifinal, as the clubs renew battle at the Cairo International Stadium on Wednesday evening.

“The main objective was always to go to Cairo having a chance,” coach Steve Barker said after the first-leg stalemate. “We didn’t want to go sort of dead and buried. I think, not conceding the away goal, I believe the pressure shifts to Zamalek.

“I think with good preparation, now we know what we know, good analysis, and come up with a really good game plan to get it. Because as it is, whether they score one or not, even if they score one, we still only have to score one.”

Wednesday’s Confed Cup action gets underway in mid-afternoon in Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania, as hosts Simba SC look to overturn a 2-0 deficit against Egypt’s Al Masry at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium.

The two night games come from Berkane in Morocco and the Algerian capital city of Algiers. In the former, RS Berkane host Ivory Coast’s ASEC Abidjan at the Municipal Stadium and hold a 1-0 lead – as the Orange Boys chase a third Confed Cup title.

In the latter, an all-Algerian clash between USM Alger and CS Constantine is delicately poised at 1-1. The first-leg match in Constantine was a tempestuous affair, and this return game at the 5 July 1962 Stadium is set to be another tense showdown between the two Ligue 1 rivals.

The four aggregate winners will advance to the semifinals, which will be played on 20 and 27 April. ASEC-Berkane and Constantine-Alger are on one side of the draw, while the other is made up of Masry-Simba and Stellenbosch-Zamalek.

CAF Confederation Cup midweek fixtures

Times CAT

Quarterfinal, second leg – Aggregate scores in parenthesis

Wednesday 9 April

15:00: Simba SC v Al Masry (0-2)

18:00: Zamalek v Stellenbosch FC (0-0)

21:00: RS Berkane v ASEC Mimosas (1-0)

21:00: USM Alger v CS Constantine (1-1)