Ssenyondo welcomes Benghazi duel in Caf

Novices

Al Hilal will be returning to the continental stage for the first time since 2003 when they were thumped by Morocco’s Wydad Casablanca 6-2 on average in round two of the Confederation Cup. That second round appearance is their best-ever in the three fixtures they’ve played in Caf.

They had debuted in the same competition in 2001 bowing out in the first round. The club has won the Libyan Cup once in 2002, finished as runners-up four times and twice in the league in their only notable achievements.

With this background, Ssenyondo believes both teams have an equal chance but is wary of the level of football in Libya.

“We don’t know much about how they play but generally Libyan teams are like other North Africans who play good quick football,” Ssenyondo told Daily Monitor.

The Libyan league is rated 10^th in the 2019–2023 Caf five-year ranking and therefore allocated two slots for each of the two Caf interclub competitions.

Kitara are fresh from their first international engagement where they beat Ethiopia’s Mechal 2-0 in a friendly, a match that Ssenyondo thinks enhanced their preparations.

“The friendly in Ethiopia (vs Mechal) gave us a glimpse of what we need to do on the continent. It is important that we fight to get a good result at home before we travel,” he added.

The Uganda Cup winners confirmed that they will host their first leg at the Mandela National Stadium between August 16-18 before flying to the 10,000-seater Martyrs of February Stadium in Benghazi a week later.

The winner over the two matches will face Egypt’s Al Masry in the second preliminary round for a chance to play in the money group stages.

2024 Caf Confederation Cup 

First Preliminary Round

1^st leg (August 16-18): Kitara vs Al Hilal Benghazi - Namboole

2^nd leg (August 23–25): Al Hilal Benghazi vs Kitara - Benghazi

2^nd Preliminary round (September 13-22): winner vs Al Masry