Tanzania’s Simba SC will face Moroccan powerhouse Wyadad Casablanca at the knockout stage of this year’s CAF Champions League.
The aforementioned two were pitted against each other in the quarterfinal draws conducted on Wednesday in Cairo, Egypt.
It should be noted that Wydad Casablanca are the reigning winners of CAF Champions League.
Simba SC who were in the same Group with Vipers SC finished second in Group C on nine points. The same pool had Horaya AC and Raja Casablanca also from Morocco.
The Mzimbazi are seeking to break beyond the ceiling and power themselves into the semifinals for the first time since change of format in 2004.
Simba have played at the quarterfinal stage in the previous two campaigns of African club elite competitions but failed to proceed to the final four.
In the 2020/21 season, Simba fell to Kaizer Chiefs from South Africa at the quarterfinal stage in the CAF Champions League.
The following season, the Tanzanian outfit bowed out at the same stage but this time in the CAF Confederation Cup to Orlando Pirates.
In the other quarterfinal fixture, record Champions Al Ahly will face Raja Casablanca.
This is a repeat of last season’s encounter where the two teams faced off at the quarterfinal stage.
Al Ahly won the contest 3-2 on aggregate (2-1 win in Cairo and 1-1 draw in Casablanca).
JS Kabylie Algeria will fave Esperance Tunis while CR Belouizdad also from Algeria will up against South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns.
The winner between Simba and Wydad Casablanca will take on either CR Belouizdad or Mamelodi Sundowns at the semifinals.
The other semifinal fixture will have the winner between Al Ahly and Raja Casablanca facing either JS Kabylie or Esperance Tunis.
The first leg fixtures of the quarterfinals will be played on 21st and 22nd April with the return legs played a week later.
