CAPE TOWN – Stellenbosch FC head coach Steve Barker is looking forward to getting the CAF Confederation Cup Group Stage underway when his side takes on AS Otohô this weekend.
Stellenbosch FC will kick off their 2025-26 CAF Confederation Cup Group Stage campaign on Sunday afternoon when the Club hosts Congolese side AS Otohô at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane.
“It’s very exciting to get our CAF Confederation Cup campaign underway,” Stellies head coach Steve Barker said ahead of the clash.
“Everybody is raring to go and we’re looking forward to hosting our opposition AS Otohô, and to getting off to a good start by winning this home match because I think that will also be key in this competition.
“There’s a lot of enthusiasm, and we’ve had a good preparation period during the FIFA break. We were able to work on improving a lot of things, which we can hopefully apply this coming Sunday.”
The encounter will be played in Limpopo due to the unavailability of stadia in Cape Town, but Barker believes his side is equipped to deal with the challenge after facing similar trials last season.
“I think travelling around last season has prepared us for it a bit this season,” he said.
“We do know of the challenges we sometimes have with the stadiums in Cape Town and in needing to play some of these games away from home.
“New Peter Mokaba Stadium has, in my opinion, one of the best surfaces in the country, and we’ve played there a few times this season, so we know the stadium and have to take that as a positive thing.
“We are still playing in our home country in South Africa, and it’s not only Stellenbosch that we play for; we also want to make South Africa proud. So, no matter where we play, we have to go and be positive and make sure we get the home wins.”
The Maroons will face six-time Congo Ligue 1 champions AS Otohô, who are making their third appearance in the Group Stage of the CAF Confederation Cup.
“We’ve done our analysis and studied them,” Barker added.
“They have a number of players in their national team, and they’ve earned the right to be in this competition, so we have a healthy respect for them.
“The analysis shows that they’ve got some really good individual players and that they’re a strong and physical team, so we have to be at our best and make sure we execute our game plan and ensure that we play to our strengths.”
