Gor Mahia looking ahead in Caf Champions League

Gor Mahia’s squad might not look as strong as that of three seasons ago but the current crop of players have a shorter path to qualify for the Caf Champions League group stage thanks to change of the competition’s format.

In 2016, Caf announced that both Champions League and Confederation Cup group stages will comprise 16 teams, as opposed to the normal eight, divided into four groups of four.

This means that after the preliminary and first rounds teams can enter the lucrative group stage.

K’Ogalo failed to go past the first round in 2014, 2015 and 2016 bowing out at the hands of Tunisian giants Esperance (8-2 aggregate), AC Leopards of Republic of Congo (2-0) and Madagascan outfit CNaPS Sport 3-1 at the preliminary round respectively.

FIRST ENCOUNTER
Gor face Equatorial Guinea’s Leones Vegetarianos on Saturday at Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos in their preliminary round, first leg encounter.

Should Gor sail through this round they will face the winner between ASAC Concorde of Mauritania and Tunisia’s Esperance for a place in the last 16 and at least Sh55 million for reaching this stage.

Gor’s current squad has many players with continental experience including Meddie Kagere, Jacques Tuyisenge, Humphrey Mieno and Boniface Oluoch.

“We want to finish business as early as possible thus we must win convincingly tomorrow (Saturday). Even with players who haven’t participated in such tournaments. They should know what to expect and we are simply asking them to make work easier for us in this edition. The target is the group stage,” club deputy secretary general Ronald Ngala said.

Leones Vegetarianos making their first appearance in the competition having won their maiden title – the Equatoguinean Premier League last year.

The Malabo-based team was scheduled to arrive in the country on Thursday.

Ngala announced that tickets will be retailing at Sh500 for VIP and Sh200 for terraces.