After their first match of their pool against Wydad Casablanca failed to take place, Amakhosi will finally have a taste of football in this phase
Amakhosi kickoff their Caf Champions League group campaign when they host Horoya AC at FNB Stadium on Tuesday.
It is a Group C encounter as Amakhosi face Horoya who already lead the standings after beating 10-man Petro Atletico 2-0 at home on February 13.
It is the only match played in this pool so far after Amakhosi failed to travel to Morocco to face Wydad Casablanca and that match has since been postponed to February 28.
Chiefs go into this match on the backdrop of a difficult run on the domestic scene, a situation coach Gavin Hunt would not want to dampen their morale ahead of Tuesday’s clash.
| Game | Kaizer Chiefs vs Horoya AC |
| Date | Tuesday, February 23 |
| Time | 18:00 SA Time |
TV Channel, Live Score & How To Watch
| Online Streaming | TV Channel |
|---|---|
| https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLpJIBNkeTPkcxjJhp-ltkA | Kaizer Chiefs TV |
Squads & Team News
This is another level of competition and coach Hunt would need to field his strongest squad as possible.
But the Amakhosi tactician will have to do without experienced but injured forward Khama Billiat who is expected to be back at the end of March.
Defender Erick Mathoho who missed Chiefs’ league outing against SuperSport United last weekend is expected to be back following the completion of an isolation period after attending a family event.
Midfielder Darrel Matsheke who is still suspended for their domestic competitions will be available for selection in this continental fixture.
Another midfielder Dumisani Zuma is still out injured.
Horoya welcome back Burkina Faso international Oula Aabass Traore who missed the Petro Atletico match due to sickness.
During Traore’s absence, Khadim Diaw took his place and the Senegalese defender is also part of the squad that arrived in Johannesburg on Friday.
Horoya coach Lamine N’Diaye also travelled with his seasoned campaigners like Ocansey Mandela and Godfred Assante.
Match Preview
This is the first-ever meeting between Kaizer Chiefs and Horoya.
While it would be Chiefs’ first-ever game in the group stage of the Champions League, their opponents Horoya have in recent years established themselves as no pushovers in this competition after reaching the quarter-finals in the 2018 and 2018/19 seasons.
Difficult outings in their domestic matches marked by a six-match winless run characterise Chiefs’ form going into this match.
But they could be drawing inspiration from the fact that their performances in Africa have overshadowed their domestic woes this season.
Amid struggling in the Premier Soccer League, Amakhosi beat Cameroonian champions PWD Bamenda in the preliminary round, before seeing off Primeiro Agosto in the first stage to reach the group phase.
For Horoya, they arrived in Johannesburg two days after beating Satellite 5-0 in a Guinean Ligue 1 match.
They began campaigning in the first stage, beating Racing d’Abidjan of Ivory Coast 2-1 on aggregate and they then started Group C with a 2-0 victory over Petro Atletico.
Horoya have previously played against PSL opposition in Caf inter-club competitions with their last match ending in a 2-1 win over Bidvest Wits at home in a Caf Confederation Cup group stage game in January 2020 after the reverse leg had ended 0-0 in Johannesburg.
Interestingly, Hunt was in charge of Bidvest Wits then which makes the Guineans familiar opponents to him.
Horoya have also played against Mamelodi Sundowns before, drawing 2-2 in Conakry, before a 0-0 draw in Tshwane in the 2018 Champions League.
They lost 3-0 to Orlando Pirates at Orlando Stadium, before winning 2-1 at home in the 2018/19 Champions League.