Orlando Pirates start Champions League journey away to Green Eagles

The Caf Champions League fixtures have been released for the 2019/20 season, with Orlando Pirates taking on Green Eagles of Zambia in the first round of the preliminary stages.

Eagles are based in Choma and finished first in Group B of the Zambian Premier League.

Pirates, who will be participating in the African showpiece for the second season in a row, will be away in Zambia for the first leg during the second week of August, with the second leg scheduled for two weeks later in Johannesburg.

Pirates head coach Micho Sredejovic said: “It will certainly be much tougher than the path we took last year, considering the level of opposition we are about to face.

“Green Eagles are a high-quality side who finished strongly in the Zambian League, and they are also coached by Aggrey Chiyangi, who is the caretaker-coach of the Zambian national team. We can expect them to be very strong.

“Starting the tie away from home gives us an opportunity to get our campaign off to a good start.”

Should the Buccaneers make it through to the next round, they will most likely face Angolan champions 1° de Agosto.

1° de Agosto completed the 2018/19 Angolan season without a single defeat in 30 matches, scoring 51 goals and only conceding nine.

Sredejovic added: “We have, as always, the highest ambitions for Caf and our preparations, which began early, will continue to the occasion of the Carling Black Label Cup on Saturday.

“We need to show our readiness for the big games by continuing to build on the processes and foundations that we have laid down during our pre-season.”

In partnership with ANA and Mediapix