The TotalEnergies CAF Champions League returns this weekend with Matchday 4 of the group stage, as clubs across the continent enter a decisive phase in the race for quarter-final qualification.

 

With the competition now at its halfway point after three rounds of matches, frontrunners will be looking to consolidate their positions, while teams still on the fringes of qualification aim to revive their hopes with crucial results.

 

In Group A, attention will be firmly fixed on Cairo on Sunday, 1 February, where defending champions Pyramids FC host Morocco’s RS Berkane in a top-of-the-table showdown. Both sides are tied on seven points, with Berkane leading on goal difference, making the encounter a pivotal clash that could shape the group’s outcome. Elsewhere in the group, Nigeria’s Rivers United take on Zambia’s Power Dynamos in a match vital to both teams’ ambitions.

 

Group B action sees Tanzanian giants Young Africans welcome record champions Al Ahly on Saturday. The Egyptian powerhouse will be targeting a win to edge closer to securing qualification, while Young Africans, currently second in the group, will be eager to close the gap at the top and strengthen their standing. Later the same day, AS FAR Rabat face JS Kabylie in another key fixture.

 

In Group C, proceedings begin on Friday, 30 January, with a mouth-watering top-of-the-table clash between Al Hilal and Mamelodi Sundowns. The two sides are separated only by goal difference, with Sundowns narrowly leading the group. On Sunday, MC Alger host DR Congo’s St Éloi Lupopo, with the Algerian side needing a positive result to keep their qualification hopes alive.

 

Group D fixtures kick off on Saturday as Petro Atlético welcome Stade Malien at 16:00 GMT. Stade Malien currently sit top of the group, and another positive result would further strengthen their grip on a quarter-final spot. On Sunday, Simba SC host Espérance de Tunis in a highly anticipated encounter that could prove decisive as the battle for qualification intensifies.

 

As Matchday 4 unfolds, the stakes are higher than ever, with every point crucial in determining which clubs will progress to the knockout stages of Africa’s premier club competition.