Power Dynamos have set their sights on reaching the CAF Champions League quarter-finals for the first time as they prepare to face Sudanese giants Al Merreikh in the preliminary round of the 2026/27 competition.
The Zambian champions reached the group stage of the Champions League for the first time last season and are now targeting an even deeper run in this year’s campaign.
Power Dynamos head coach Oswald Mutapa, however, says the team must first gather more information on Al Merreikh and assess their strengths and weaknesses before the two sides meet.
Aba Yellow were drawn against Al Merreikh in the preliminary round, with the first leg scheduled to be played away between September 4 and 6 before the Zambian champions host the return leg a week later.
Mutapa clueless about opponent
Speaking to the club’s media, Mutapa admitted that he currently knows little about their opponents but said the technical bench will use the available time to study Al Merreikh and understand their strengths and weaknesses.
“It’s all about preparation. Yes, playing against Al Merreikh, which we don’t know much about, but we have to find out what they have been doing the past two or three years and we’ll pick it from there,” Mutapa said.
The coach said Power Dynamos are aiming to build on last season’s historic campaign by progressing further in the competition.
“Our target, of course, is to do better than we did in the previous Champions League, which is to go a step further by going into the quarter-finals,” he said.
“Yes, it won’t be easy because look at the teams that are there, but with preparation, which we are undergoing right now, we have to push and do better.”
The winner of the two-legged tie between Power Dynamos and Al Merreikh will advance to the pre-group stage, where they will face either Algeria’s JS Saoura or Guinea’s Horoya FC.
Those matches are scheduled for October, with the first leg set for October 16-18 and the return leg between October 23 and 25.
