Rayon Sports to face Congo side in Caf CL

CAF Champions LeagueSelected fixturesRayon Sports vs AC Leopards (CGO)Yanga (TAN) vs Komorozine (CAM)Gor Mahia (KEN) vs US Bitam (GAB)AS Vita (RDC) vs Kano Pillars (NGA)Merrikh (SUD) vs KCC (UGA)Caf Confederation CupAS Kigali vs Academia Tchité (BUR)Don Bosco (RDC) vs Victoria (UGA)Leopards (KEN) vs Defence (ETH)Azam (TAN) vs Ferroviario Da Beira (MOZ)National football league champions Rayon Sports have been drawn against Congolese side AC Leopards in the Preliminary qualifying round of the CAF Champions League set for February7-9.Peace Cup winners AS Kigali will be up against Burundian side Academie Tchité in the Caf Confederation Cup. The draw for both competitions was held on Monday in Marrakech, Morocco. The 18th edition of the Orange CAF Champions League 2014 preliminary stage kicks off on a date between February 7 and 9 when Rayon Sports travel to Brazzaville for the first leg before hosting the return leg in Kigali a week later.Should Rayon overcome the tricky Congolese side, they will face the winner between 1ero Agosto of Angola and Lioli from Lesotho in the first round. Reacting to the draw, Rayon Sports head coach Didier Gomes da Rosa said on Monday, “We have drawn a tough team which has been champions of their country for two seasons in a row and was able to reach the group stages of this year’s Champions League. It will not be easy but anything is possible.”“We are lucky because we will first play away before hosting them in Kigali,” added the Frenchman, who last season led Rayon to the league title for the first in eight years.Fifty-two clubs will take part in the preliminary round and will be joined by Al Ahly (Egypt), Coton Sport (Cameroon), TP Mazembe (DR Congo), Hilal (Sudan), CS Sfaxien (Tunisia) and Esperance Sportive de Tunis (Tunisia) in the second round stage.The second round matches will be played between February 28 and March 9, while the final qualifying-round matches are slated for March 21-30. The last time the Blues played in the Caf Champions League was way back in 2005 when they were knocked out in the preliminary round.Last year, Rwanda’s representatives in the Caf Champions League, APR FC, were knocked out on the away goals rule in the first round by Vital’O of Burundi, who won 2-1 in Kigali and lost 0-1 in Bujumbura.Second time for AS KigaliMeanwhile, the 11th edition of the CAF Confederations Cup qualifying round will kick off with AS Kigali hosting Academie Tchité between February 7 and 9 before traveling to Bujumbura for the return leg seven days later.Should the City of Kigali-sponsored side progress past the qualifying round, they will face Alhly Shandy of Sudan in the first round.AS Kigali will be competing for the second time in the continental competition after making their debut in 2001 when they were still called Les Citadins.