The prospect of facing eight-time CAF Champions League winners in the form of Egypt’s Al Ahly as well as Tunisian side Esperance, African champions in 1994 and 2011 is one that would ordinarily intimidate many.
Not Mike Mutebi though. The KCCA FC manager revealed in the immediate aftermath of the draw held in Cairo, Egypt on Wednesday evening that while the draw is not easy, his team will relish the opportunity.
"We will be playing against some of the big sides in African football, but we are not scared. We are going to put up a good fight,” Mutebi pointed out before adding.
“The whole of Al Ahly team is dangerous. I wouldn't say it's the Ahly of the Muhammed Aboutrika that was very strong. This team does not have very special players but as a team they are strong."
The Ugandan champions who won the domestic double including the 2-0 Cup win over Paidha Black Angels at the Betway Greenlight stadium reached the group stages after a 1-0 aggregate victory over Ethiopian side Saint George.
Placed in Group A, they will also have the company of Township Rollers of Botswana that includes their former midfielder Ivan Ntege who they will face on match-day one in May.
Al- Ahly who lost last year’s final to Morocco’s Wydad Casablanca also boast a CAF Confederation Cup, and record six CAF Super Cup titles, as well as finishing third at the
FIFA Club World Cup.
“It is also necessary to pay attention to KCCA FC and Township Rollers, despite being debutantes at this stage,” Al Ahly director of football Sayed Abdel-Hafiz said of the draw.
“KCCA and Township Rollers overcame big teams in the preceding round which proves that playing against them will not be easy,” Abdel-Hafiz added.
Al Ahly played out a goalless draw with KCCA domestic rivals SC Villa before a 6-0 thumping in Cairo back in 2005.
Esperance on the other hand met KCCA in the 1997 CAF Cup, winning 3-1 at Nakivubo and 6-0 in the Tunisian city of Rades for a 9-1 aggregate score.
The winners and runners-up of each group advance to the quarter-final of the competition.
2018 CAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GROUPS
Group A: Al Ahly (Egypt), Township Rollers (Botswana), KCCA (Uganda), Esperance (Tunisia)
Group B: MC Alger (Algeria), Difaa El Jadidi (Morocco), ES Setif (Algeria), TP Mazembe (DR Congo)
Group C: AS-Togo (Togo), Horoya (Guinea), Sundowns (South Africa), Wydad Casablanca (Morocco)
Group D: Zesco (Zambia), Primero de Agosto (Angola), Mbabane Swallows (Swaziland), Etoile du Sahel (Tunisia)