Ethiopian Premier League (EPL) side St. George will host Democratic Republic of Congo’s AS Vita in the African Champions League (ACL) on Sunday June 3, 2017 at Addis Ababa Stadium. It is the third match for the Horsemen in the ACL after they were drawn with top African clubs in Group C of the ACL.
The Horsemen ended their last two matches on level terms. Their first encounter was with the defending champions from South Africa, Mamelodi Sundowns, in an away match, which ended in a 1-1 draw. Then they played Esperance of Tunisia in Addis Ababa in a game that ended in a goalless draw. The home side struggled until the match official blew the final whistle, with marksman Saladin Said not being able to find the back of the net. All expect St. George have previously been crowned continental champions.
Third match will be crucial for the EPL defending champions to advance to the next stage. St. George are placed third with two points. Sundowns and Esperance are tied with four points while AS Vita sit at the bottom without a point.
This has been a successful campaign for St. George advancing to ACL for the first time in the club’s history. The Horsemen now have a great chance of advancing to the knockout stages if they manage to secure all three points when they face AS Vita in front of their fans at the national stadium.
Aschlew Tamene, Saladin Said, Natnael Zeleke and the young fullback, Frezer Kasa, are in the lineup. Ugandan goalie Robert Odonkara (injury) and Bahilu Assefa (injury) are not included in the squad.
Elsewhere, Al Ahly and Zamalek of Egypt, USM Alger of Algeria and Al Ahli Tripoli of Libya are expected to easily qualify to the next stages. Since the beginning of the Premier Soccer League (PSL) in 1996 Sundowns have won the league title a record seven times and they are the current African Champions League champions and 2016 CAF Club of the Year
