Big three turn attention to CAF competitions

By James Bakama, Daniel Saire and Phillip CorryChampions LeagueEl Mereikh vs SC VillaCAF CupSt.George vs KCCCup Winners CupExpress vs El MehallaINJURY-HIT SC Villa have included defenders Timothy Batabaire and David Iga on their team for this weekend’s African Champions League tie.The two players were suspended last month together with three others for indiscipline. They did not travel to Zanzibar where the league champions struggled to finish fourth in the Kagame East and Central Africa Club Championship.Secretary Edward Luyimbazzi said the players apologised. Villa play El Merreikh of Sudan in Khartoum on Saturday but their travel plans are still uncertain. “We can not get visas as the players still have their passports in Zanzibar moreover we had intended the team connects to Sudan direct from Zanzibar via Nairobi,” said Luyimbazzi.Villa who signed Yugoslav coach Micho Sredojevic last month, have an uphill task.The Ugandan champions signed the new coach to boost their chances of making the Champions League group stage for the first time.r KCC Football Club will leave for Addis Ababa a day before their clash with Saint George of Ethiopia in the CAF Cup.The Kampala side have picked 17 players for the Saturday first-leg game.KCC will be hoping for better fortunes this time round, as they bowed out of this competition to South African side Cape Town Ajax 3-1 on aggregate, in the first-round last year.r Express hosts El Mehalla of Egypt on Saturday in an Africa Cup Winners first-round tie.Mehalla, fourth in the Egyptian league, are expected here tomorrow. Egyptian ambassador Maasoum Mazrouk confirmed their arrival.Mehalla hail from El Mehalla, a region 120 kilometres north of Cairo that is renown for the textile industry. Express went into camp for the game last week at Lweza.ends