Durban — South Africa’s three representatives in the Caf Confederation Cup have learnt their second preliminary playoff round opponents following the draw that was held in Cairo on Tuesday.
Royal AM have been drawn to play against Democratic Republic of the Congo giants TP Mazembe. Though TP Mazembe have far more experience than Thwihli Thwahla, the Durban club can take heart from the heroics of their provincial neighbours AmaZulu who inflicted a shock defeat upon TP Mazembe in the Caf Champions League second preliminary round last season.
TP Mazembe will be looking to use the tournament as a means of rebuilding themselves into a giant of African football, having not won the Champions League since 2015 and the Confederation Cup since 2017, a long time by their standards.
After being dumped out of the Champions League second preliminary round by Petro de Luanda recently, Cape Town City have been drawn to play against USM Algier. Eric Tinkler’s team may have to decide now whether to prioritise continental football or the Premiership.
They are struggling to emulate their heroics from last season in the league. They lie 12th with just two wins after nine games. Given the stresses involved in competing in Africa and their struggles in the league, many would argue that they should just focus on reviving their performances domestically.
Marumo Gallants have been drawn to play against Al Ahli Tripoli. The Libyan team will be firm favourites to win the tie as they were semi-finalists in the Confederation Cup last season, before being downed by runners-up Orlando Pirates.
Like City, Marumo Gallants are also struggling domestically. They are second last in the league with just one win after nine games.
However, Marumo Gallants have proven that they have the mindset needed to go far in Cup competitions. They were runners-up to Sundowns in the Nedbank Cup last season. They won the same tournament as their previous incarnation Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila during the 2020-21 season. Several of the players that helped TTM famously win South Africa’s premier Cup competition remain in their side.