Zesco United will host Kano Pillars of Nigeria in their opening Group A match of their debut outing in the African Champions League.
Fighton Simukonda’s side will host Pillars at the Trade Fair Grounds in Ndola on July 18 on match day one.
This will be Pillars first-ever visit to Zambia and like Zesco will be making their African Champions League group stage debut.
The match, however, is set to be overshadowed by Al Hilal and El Merreikh’s historic African Champions League derby to be played during match day one in Khartoum.
Zesco later make two successive trips to Sudan during the mini-league to play Al Hilal and El Merreikh in July and August respectively.
The Ndola side will travel to Khartoum to play Al Hilal during the weekend of July 31-August 2.
It will be the second consecutive season the two sides will meet in the African champions League after the Al Hilal eliminated them from the first round of the same tournament last year.
Al Hilal beat Zesco 2-0 away in the first leg in Khartoum before drawing 1-1 at the Trade Fair Grounds in to qualify to the second round 3-1 on aggregate.
However, their meeting against El Merreikh will be the first between the two sides.
El Merreikh will host Zesco on match day three during the weekend of August 14-16.
Zesco will wrap-up their first ever trip to Nigeria to face Pillars in the country’s third largest city during the weekend of September 11-13 before wrapping up at home a week later when they host Al Hilal on the 19th.
The top two group winners will qualify to the semifinals of the African Champions League to be played over two legs in October.
Groups:
Group A: E Merreikh (Sudan), Al Hilal (Sudan), Kano Pillars (Nigeria), Zesco United (Zambia)
Group B:Etoile du Sahel (Tunisia),TP Mazembe (DR Congo), Heartland (Nigeria), Monomotapa (Zimbabwe)
Its a good group
lets wait and see
This iz really challenging and ineresting. El who, Al wat, the Super Story boiz here comes very high voltage Zesco!
ZESCO ZIMYA NEIGHBOUR THEY HAVE TO MAKE HISTORY DESPITE THE FIRED SISALA. HOWEVER, ONE SUDANESE TEAM WILL GIVE ZESCO SOME GOOD POWER-CUT. WATCH THIS SPACE. VIVA ZESCOLO
ZESCO HAS MADE A NAME FOR THEMSELVES. LOCALLY ZESCO IS FAMOUS FOR THE BILLS AND POWER-CUT, IN MALI ZESCO IS WELL KNOWN FOR ELECTROCUTING Djouliba. LETS SEE WHAT NEXT FOR ZESCOLO. VIVA POWER-CUT BOYZ. Viva Sakuwaha
The group stages are tough. With a good psychic preparation and add more tech help from HR and Simukonda and Mtine they will perform and shock Africa by being the first Zambian Club to play in the finals of the champ League. We wish them a good luck. How much is ZESCO getting to be in the group stages?Zesco ali mu ma $$$.
Reads like there are no Egyptian sides in this year’s mini-leagues?
the boys only need a good psychic preparation and that is all to make their name in African football.
Zesco stands a big chance to reach the semifinals. But they must have the killing spirit, that is to say football is all about scoring (ask the late Godfrey “Ucar” Chitalu). With SA 2010 just around te corner, Zesco’s winnings will bring World opinion and attention onto our Zambia. Then most would benefit: players would be offered new contracts, some country would want to make Zambia their base where they can practice with local teams like Zesco (who happens to be in the African champions league). Isn’t that wonderful!!!
Come on what is wrong about dreaming? After all, most of the great inventions were originally just drems of the inventor!
ILiko tricky, the two teams from sudan have been in this competiton for sometime now, So zesco should prepare adquately mentally, physically and technically because of the experience these guys from sudan have.
Zesco United has reached the crucial stage and the pairing is okay. Big teams and yes Zesco is big team. Uyu acting MD Chibulu should not be mean when spending on Zesco’s preparations. As for Simukonda and the Frenchman’s offer to be part of the technical bench, we have not heard anything from the coach. The French set his conditions. Looking at what happened to Red Arrows they boys perfomed wonders in their return leg encounter though its was too late. Zesco should not take chances becuase they need any technical assistance.
Zecso should take advantage of the absence of Egyptian teams. They have been a nuisance to zambian soccer way back from the kalampa days.!
awee kwiinaa bali tunayaaaa ba MAN U. ba blues bali muchita bwino!!! ZESCO all the best
Salah Malekhum from Darfur, Sudan. ZESCO will be gutted by Janjaweed. Allah Khbah, Allah Khbah. Salama.
Mahlekhum Salam