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CAF Women’s Champions League title holders Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies will have a target on their backs when the second edition of the continental inter-club competition kicks off in Morocco this afternoon.
Banyana Ba Style, as Sundowns Ladies are affectionately known, won the inaugural tournament with a 2-0 drubbing of Ghanaian side Hasaacas Ladies in Cairo, Egypt, last year.
The tournament will be contested by eight clubs that have been divided into two groups, and all the matches will be played in Rabat and Marrakech.
There will be many closed books for Sundowns in the competition.
READ: Sundowns Ladies determined to defend their CAF Champions League crown
Of all the eight teams that participated in the inaugural Champions League last year, only Sundowns, Wadi Degla from Egypt and Morocco’s AS FAR returned for this edition.
Host club AS FAR, which won bronze in last year’s tournament, will face Tanzania’s Simba Queens, Zambia’s Green Buffaloes and Liberia’s Determine Girls in Group A.
Green Buffaloes defeated Sundowns Ladies on penalties to win the Cosafa Women’s Champions League crown in KwaZulu-Natal in August.Sundowns Ladies are in Group B with Nigeria’s Bayelsa Queens, Wadi Degla and the Democratic Republic of Congo’s TP Mazembe.
READ: Cosafa Women’s Cup | No room for error for Banyana
The top two teams from each group will face off in the semifinals.
Banyana Ba Style will start the defence of their title against Bayelsa Queens tomorrow. They will then play Wadi Degla on Thursday and conclude their group stage campaign against TP Mazembe on Sunday.
The South African champions had a memorable tournament last year, when goalkeeper Andile Dlamini was also voted the best goalkeeper of the competition.
Sundowns Ladies’ group stage opponents
TP Mazembe (DRC)
Unlike their men’s team, who have a storied 83-year-old history that features five Champions League titles, the women’s team was established only two years ago.
They defeated Cameroon side AS Awa 2-1 on aggregate in the final round of qualification for the group stages.
Bayelsa Queens (Nigeria)
Founded as Garden City Angels in the Nigerian city of Port Harcourt in 1998, the club was renamed Bayelsa Queens in 2000 after the Bayelsa State started funding the club.
The club has unearthed the likes of Nigeria Super Falcons captain Onome Ebi, goalkeeper Tochukwu Oluehi, the late Ifeanyi Chiejine, Precious Dede and Francisca Ordega.
Since last year, Bayelsa Queens have celebrated at least four trophies
Wadi Degla (Egypt)
Established in 2007, Waid Degla were promoted to the Egyptian Women’s Premier League in the 2009/10 season. They’re famous for their youth football academy.
The club is based in Cairo and is tied to Wadi Degla Holding, a local construction company.
