2008 Champions League kicks off

Defending champions Etoile du Sahel have a first-round bye

Egyptian side Zamalek play APR of Rwanda in Kigali, despite missing their national team players who won the Africa Cup of Nations last Sunday.

Ghana's Hearts of Oak, winners of the Champions League in 2000, play in Gabon against FC105 Libreville.

FC105 are recovering after the death of midfielder Guy Tchingoma last Saturday who collapsed after a league game.

Nigeria's Enyimba, champions in 2003 and 2004, host Congo's Diables Noirs in Aba on Sunday.

Defending champions Etoile du Sahel of Tunisia have a bye into the second round.

They will play the winner of the tie between Senegal's AS Douanes and the Burkina Faso champions CF Ouagadougou.

Former champions FAR Rabat of Morocco, a major disappointment after reaching the group phase last year, host Sporting Praia of the Cape Verde Islands.

Club Africain, back after a 11-year absence, travel to newcomers Saloum of Senegal.

Mamelodi Sundowns, the last South African club to make an impression by finishing runners-up to Al Ahly of Egypt in 2001, play Miembeni on the Indian Ocean island of Zanzibar.

The second South African challengers, debutants Platinum Stars, entertain Correction Services of Lesotho.

Swaziland police outfit Royal Leopards host 1998 runners-up Dynamos of Zimbabwe in another regional showdown.

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2008 Champions League draw

First round:

ASC SNIM (Mauritania) v Entente Setif (Algeria)

Sporting Bissau (Guinea Bissau) v Olympique Khouribga (Morocco)

Invincible XI (Liberia) v AS Kaloum (Guinea) - bye to AS Kaloum, Invincible XI withdrew from competition

Renacimiento (Equatorial Guinea) v InterClube (Angola)

Royal Armed Forces (Morocco) v Sporting Praia (Cape Verde)

Tonnerre FC (Benin) v Africa Sports (Ivory Coast)

APR FC (Rwanda) v Zamalek (Egypt)

AS Douanes (Senegal) v CF Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso)

Costa do Sol (Mozambique) v Ajesaia (Madagascar)

Royal Leopards (Swaziland) v Dynamos (Zimbabwe)

Sahel SC (Niger) v Ashanti Gold (Ghana)

Daring Club Motema Pembe (DR Congo) v Gombe United (Nigeria)

Vital'O (Burundi) v Coton Sport (Cameroon)

FC105 Libreville (Gabon) v Hearts of Oak (Ghana)

Renaissance (Chad) v TP Mazembe Englebert (DR Congo) - bye to TP Mazembe due to Caf ban on clubs from Chad

Stade Malien (Mali) v Primeiro Agosto (Angola)

ASC Saloum (Senegal) v Club Africain (Tunisia)

ASKO Kara (Togo) v Union Douala (Cameroon)

Simba SC (Tanzania) v Awassa City (Ethiopia)

Enyimba (Nigeria) v Diables Noirs (Congo)

Tusker FC (Kenya) v Al Tahrir (Eritrea) - bye to Al Tahrir due to Caf ban on clubs from Kenya

US Tamponnaise (Reunion) v St Michel United (Seychelles)

Platinum Stars (South Africa) v Lesotho Correction Services (Lesotho)

Curepipe Starlight (Mauritius) v Coin Nord Mitsamiouli (Comoros Islands)

Miembeni SC (Zanzibar) v Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa)

Uganda Revenue Authority (Uganda) v ZESCO United (Zambia)

Teams mentioned first play at home in the first leg on the weekend of February 15-17. Return legs played on the weekend of February 29, March 1-2.

Second round:

Sporting Bissau or Olympique Khouribga v ASC SNIM or Entente Setif

ASEC Abidjan (Ivory Coast) v AS Kaloum

Royal Armed Forces or Sporting Praia v Renacimiento or InterClube

Zamalek v Tonnerre FC or Africa Sports

Etoile du Sahel (Tunisia) v AS Douanes or CF Ouagadougou

Royal Leopards or Dynamos v Costa do Sol or Ajesaia

JS Kabylie (Algeria) v Sahel SC or Ashanti Gold

Vital'O or Coton Sport v Daring Club Motema Pembe or Gombe United

TP Mazembe Englebert v FC105 Libreville or Hearts of Oak

Al Ittihad (Libya) v Stade Malien or Primeiro Agosto

ASKO Kara or Union Douala v ASC Saloum or Club Africain

Enyimba or Diables Noirs v Simba SC or Awassa City

Al Ahly (Egypt) v Al Tahrir

Platinum Stars or Lesotho Correction Services v US Tamponnaise or St Michel United

Miembeni SC or Mamelodi Sundowns v Curepipe Starlight or Coin Nord Mitsamiouli

Al Hilal (Sudan) v Uganda Revenue Authority or ZESCO United

Teams mentioned first play at home in the first leg on the weekend of March 21-23. The return legs will be played on the weekend of April 4-6.

Winners advance to the third round in April and May.