Preliminary Round

First leg: Zanaco vs APR FCConfederation CupPreliminary roundFirst leg: Al Salam Wau vs Rayon Sports

APR FC coach Jimmy Mulisa believes he can make history by becoming the first man to lead the army side to the group stages of the CAF Champions League.

The Rwandan league champions were drawn against Zambia’s Zanaco FC in the preliminary round of the 2017 continental showpiece. The draws for the 2017 CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup were conducted on Wednesday evening in Cairo, Egypt.

APR will play the first leg away on the weekend of February 10-12 at Sunset stadium in Lusaka before hosting the return leg in Kigali a week later.

"My ambition is clear, I want to reach the group stages of this competition, I believe in my team and I am very happy that the players are responding well to the philosophy I am trying to build here,” Mulisa told Times Sport on Thursday.

Mulisa, who was part of the APR side that reached the second qualification round in 2004 under the late Jean Marie Ntagwabira, added that, "This a very strong competition that brings together the best clubs on the continent but I believe my team will go as far as the group stages.”

Since they made their debut in Africa’s biggest club competition in 1997, APR have never reached the group stages whereas their opponents Zanaco reached the last 16 in 2010, their best record so far.

Should APR survive the preliminary round, they will face the winner between Ngaya de Mbe of Cameroon and Young Africans of Tanzania, in the first round.

Meanwhile, Rayon Sports have been drawn against Al Salam Wau of South Sudan. Rwanda Peace Cup winners will also play the first leg away in Juba before hosting the return leg in Kigali. If Djuma Masudi’s side progress from this round, they will face Onze Creatures of Mali in the first round.

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