Top seeds Enyimba of Nigeria and Esperance of Tunisia were given steep obstacles to clear after the draw on Tuesday for the African Champions League groups.
Title holders Enyimba confront Africa Sport of Côte d’Ivoire next month in Abidjan, an Atlantic city where they have had mixed luck in the previous two editions of the premier African club competition.
The ‘Peoples Elephant’ from the south-east town of Aba crashed 4-1 to Asec two years ago in a second round qualifier and exacted revenge 12 months later with a 2-0 mini-league triumph.
Bakili Bullets, the first Malawian club to reach the group phase, host Etoile Sahel of Tunisia, winners of every African competition except the Champions League, in the other Group A first round fixture.
Enyimba and Etoile are favoured to justify their seedings by reaching the semi-finals, but Africa Sport are capable of upsets while Bullets seem set to offer stiff resistance in their Blantyre fortress and struggle away.
Experienced Esperance against rookies SuperSport United may look a mismatch, even in South Africa, but the club owned by a satellite television channel are on a roll in domestic and international competitions.
Former South Africa striker Pitso Mosimane has exceeded expectations since succeeding ex-Liverpool goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar as SuperSport coach three years ago with three consecutive top three national league finishes.
Mosimane is showing more interest in Africa than many South African coaches, ordering video tapes of Esperance in action last year when they underachieved again by making a timid semi-finals exit.
Jeanne d’Arc of Senegal entertain 2003 semi-finalists USMA of Algeria in the other Group B fixture in a section Esperance should top. The second qualifying place for the semi-finals seems wide open.
The eight second round losers in the Champions League were paired with the eight second round winners in the African Confederation Cup, a new competition that replaces the African Cup Winners Cup and CAF Cup competitions.
Several attractive third round ties emerged with Asante Kotoko of Ghana against Wydad Casablanca of Morocco leading the bill in a repeat of the 2002 Cup Winners Cup decider won by Wydad on away goals.
APR, the military club that has done much to raise the standard of Rwandan football, were drawn against 2003 CAF Cup semi-finalists and seasoned African campaigners Enugu Rangers of Rangers.
There will be two clashes between South African and Cameroon clubs with former African champions Orlando Pirates and Canon Yaounde enjoying home advantage against Sable Batie and Santos respectively.
A third Cameroon challenger, Cotonsport Garoua, tackles high scoring Zambian army team Green Buffaloes and Petro Atletico of Angola confront another military club, FAR Rabat of Morocco.
Like Cameroon, Ghana have three representatives, with Hearts of Oak playing Douanes of Senegal in a potentially spicy regional showdown and Liberty Professionals confronting perennial African contenders Al-Hilal of Sudan.
The Champions League pool matches kick off between July 9-11, the same weekend first leg matches are scheduled in the final knockout round of the Confederation Cup. – Sapa-AFP