APR Champions League list out next week

APR will hand in their 2010 Orange CAF Champions League squad list next week, the club’s Secretary General Adolph Kalisa has confirmed. The army-side, who piped rivals Atraco to last year’s national league title are in for a tough run after drawing Angola champions Recreativo de Libolo in the preliminary round. APR will host the Angolans on the weekend of February 12-14 in Kigali before traveling to Luanda for the return leg between February 25 and 28. Speaking to Times Sport recently, Kalisa said that they had sent a provisional list of 25 players to the continent’s football governing body (CAF) but after revising the list, the final squad of 30 players will be sent to Cairo next week. “A number of changes have been made from the initial list but we are yet to make it public. The technical committee has to approve it first before we can send it to Cairo,” Kalisa said. The winner between Recreativo de Libolo and APR will then play African champions TP Mazembe-one of six teams to receive byes at the preliminary stage. The other five include Al-Ahly (Egypt), ASEC Mimosas (Ivory Coast), Heartland (Nigeria), Al-Hilal Omdurman (Sudan) and Dynamos (Zimbabwe). The first leg of that tie will be played between March 19 and 21 while the second leg will be played on the weekend of April 2-4. After missing out on last year’s Champions League, APR still failed to make amends in the Caf Confederations Cup after being knocked out by Egypt’s Haras El Hoduod in the second round. Erik Paske’s side lost 2-0 on aggregates. But in a bid to put in a formidable display this year, the army side has stopped at nothing to revitalize the squad. APR has strengthened its attack by signing Malawi’s lethal striker Chiukepo Msowoya from Mozambique’s top-division side Liga Desportivo Musulmania. The experienced striker has joined on a two-season deal. Other clubs from the Cecafa region vying for honours in the Champions League include URA of Uganda, Tanzania’s Young Africans, Mafunzo of Zanzibar, Kenya’s Sofapaka, Saint George of Ethiopia, Vital’O of Burundi and two clubs from Sudan- Al-Hilal Omdurman and Al-Merreikh. This year’s CAF Champions League will be the 46th edition of Africa’s premier club football tournament and the 14th edition under the current CAF Champions League format. The winner will participate in the 2010 FIFA Club World Cup. Ends

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APR Champions League list out next week