Pirates handed tough champs league path

Having been drawn against Angolan side Recreativo de Libolo in the preliminary round, Pirates will then need to get past Nigerian runners-up Sunshine Stars in the first round proper. If they overcome those two hurdles then they will meet either Mali runners-up Djoliba, or the winner of the preliminary round tie between Uganda Revenue Authority and the Lesotho Correctional Services.

The Buccaneers will be favourites to advance past Recreativo in the preliminary round, but should be wary of the banana-skin potential of the side that won the Angolan championship last year. The pairing with Sunshine Stars after that is almost a worst-case scenario for The Buccaneers, given that South African sides have traditionally struggled against Nigerian opposition.