Kaizer Chiefs youngster Asanele Velebayi isn’t pretending to be unfazed.
The 22-year-old winger has openly admitted that stepping into Egypt for the CAF Confederation Cup (CAFCC) group stages feels like entering a whole new football world.
AL MASRY HOST KAIZER CHIEFS IN SUEZ
Amakhosi kick off their CAFCC journey against Al Masry on Sunday at the Suez Stadium at 18:00. It’s a heavyweight assignment, and Velebayi knows it.
“Obviously, it’s a huge moment for me to be travelling in Africa, to Egypt, for the first time,” the 22-year-old winger told the club’s media. “We have watched some of the Egyptian league as part of our preparation so I am expecting a difficult game, but I am really looking forward to the challenge,” the Philipi-born attacker added.
“To be honest, personally, I’m a little bit nervous but we have players who have experienced playing at this level before, whom I trust to share their knowledge of what to expect,” Velebayi concluded.
GROUP D LAYOUT
Group D also includes Egyptian giants Zamalek and Zesco United from Zambia. To achieve success, Kaizer Chiefs need a top-two finish.
Zamalek are probably the team to beat. The White Knights have lifted the CAF Confederation Cup twice, in 2018/19 and again in 2023/24.
For Kaizer Chiefs, progressing beyond the qualifiers has been rare. The last time Amakhosi reached the knockout rounds was in 2013/14, when they were beaten 3–1 on aggregate by Ivorian giants ASEC Mimosas in the round of 16.
Zesco also have history against the Soweto giants, the Zambian side eliminated Amakhosi in the second-round qualifiers of the 2018/19 campaign with a 5–2 aggregate victory. Zesco’s best continental run came in 2016/17, where they reached the quarterfinals before bowing out to SuperSport United.
Al Masry, meanwhile, cannot be underestimated. Their strongest showing in this competition came in 2017/18 when they reached the semifinals but fell to AS Vita. Last season, they pushed again but were knocked out in the quarterfinals on penalties by Fadlu Davids’ AS Simba.
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