The giants enter the African club battleground this weekend as second round combat begins in the two major competitions.
Both title holders hail from Tunisia and enjoy home advantage with Etoile Sahel playing AS Douanes of Senegal in the African Champions League while CS Sfaxien meet JSM Bejaia of Algeria in the African Confederation Cup.
Frenchman Bertrand Marchand coaches Etoile, who are in good domestic form with an away victory last weekend maintaining a two-point advantage in the national championship six rounds from the finishing line.
Experienced international campaigners Douanes were held goalless at home by Ouagadougou FC in the first round last month only to discover their scoring touch in Burkina Faso with a 3-2 triumph.
But while Etoile are enjoying regular action in one of the most competitive African football environments, Douanes have been idle with the new season not starting due to internal fall-out from a poor showing at the 2008 Nations Cup.
Etoile will lack two of the squad that stunned Al-Ahly of Egypt 3-1 in Cairo last November to wrest the trophy from opponents seeking a record third title in a row.
Captain Seif Ghezal has moved to Swiss club Young Boys and fellow defender and stand-in skipper Sabeur Ben Frej bolstered the African contingent at French outfit Le Mans.
But the star Etoile supporters most fear losing is young striker Amine Chermiti, who scored eight of the goals that conquered Africa last year and another two in the African Super Cup success over Sfaxien last month.
Sfaxien have been struggling to recapture the form that enabled them to succeed Etoile as winners of the second-tier African Confederation Cup, a competition modelled on the European UEFA Cup.
The team from the south-east Mediterranean town of Sfax are nearer the bottom than top of the national league having amassed a meagre 23 points from a possible 60 and Swiss coach Michel Decastel quit recently.
However, the draw was kind to Sfaxien with Bejaia a mid-table team in Algeria who lack international experience or stars seemingly destined for a first round exit.
There is no shortage of attractive ties in the Champions League, which carries a $1-million first prize and a passport to the annual Fifa Club World Cup in Japan.
Zamalek, who share with fellow Egyptians Ahly the record of five titles, entertain Africa Sports of Côte d’Ivoire in a repeat of the 1986 final won on penalties by the ”White Knights” from Cairo.
This fixture rekindles the great rivalry between the nations with Zamalek striker Amr Zaki a pivotal figure when Egypt stunned Côte d’Ivoire 4-1 in the African Nations Cup semifinals last month en route to retaining the title.
The other Ivorian contenders, 1998 champions Asec Abidjan, made a timid exit at the group stage last year, but should start with a home win over modest AS Kaloum of Guinea.
Olympic Khouribga of Morocco host Entente Setif of Algeria and Sporting Club Praia of Cape Verde, who caused the upset of the first round by eliminating FAR Rabat of Morocco, have home advantage against Angolan police team InterClube.
Al-Ittihad of Libya and Al-Hilal of Sudan, who exceeded expectations last year by reaching the semi-finals, begin their campaigns with home engagements against Primeiro Agosto of Angola and Zesco United of Zambia respectively.
Enyimba of Nigeria, one of only three clubs to successfully defend the 43-year Champions League, confront Tanzanian visitors Simba and Dynamos of Zimbabwe tackle Costa do Sol of Mozambique in a Southern Africa showdown.
Fellow Tunisian club Esperance could pose the greatest threat to Sfaxien with a host of new signings and solid domestic form suggesting they will be far too strong for Moroccan lower league club Rachad Bernoussi.
Mouloudia Alger, the Algerian club who finished with eight players in a stormy Confederation Cup match last year, host Coast Guards of Egypt in a North African derby.
After scoring seven unanswered goals in the previous round, Zambian army club Green Buffaloes are likely to find Highlanders from neighbouring Zimbabwe tougher opposition when they meet in Lusaka.
The 31 return matches will be be staged over the weekend of April 4 to 6 while Ahly received a walkover into the final qualifying round for the Champions League bye when Eritrean opponents al-Tahrir withdrew. – AFP
