Tout Puissant Mazembe are the only club from the DRC to have qualified for the group phase of the CAF Champions League. The Lubumbashi club's return to the big leagues holds great promise, given their excellent start to the season.
Lamine Ndiaye's return to the Mazembe bench does good to the Crows
Tout Puissant Mazembe now carry the DRC's last hopes of CAF club competition. The Lubumbashi club qualified for the group phase of the Champions League by eliminating Nyassa Big bullet of Malawi in the second preliminary round, beating them both in the first leg in Lilongwe (0-1) and in the return leg in Lubumbashi (4-0). Mazembe thus remain the only Congolese club in the running in both CAF competitions, following the elimination of V.Club in the first preliminary round of the Champions League and FC Saint Eloi Lupopo in the second preliminary round of the Confederation Cup.
Back in the big league
Les Corbeaux are back in the Champions League group phase this season after being eliminated in the second preliminary round last season, when they were relegated to the Confederation Cup. Mazembe's return to the big leagues is very promising, given their excellent start to the season, both domestically and in Africa.The Crows have played 6 matches in all competitions and won them all, scoring 17 goals and conceding none, an average of almost 3 goals per game. On the continent, Mazembe recorded an away win against Nyassa Big Bullet of Malawi in Lilongwe, something that had not happened for several years.
Lamine Ndiaye at the helm
Tout Puissant Mazembe's good start to the season is a combination of the quality of the squad, with a mix of old hands and new recruits, and the coaching skills of Lamine Ndiaye, the team's Senegalese coach. Since his return to the club in April 2023, the 60-year-old coach has taken charge of rebuilding a young team that he has succeeded in instilling with a winning spirit. Hence the very positive results recorded, which augur well for the Corbeaux's future. But Lamine Ndiaye is not about to be euphoric.
Lamine Ndiaye at the helm
Tout Puissant Mazembe's good start to the season is a combination of the quality of the squad, with a mix of old hands and new recruits, and the coaching skills of Lamine Ndiaye, the team's Senegalese coach. Since his return to the club in April 2023, the 60-year-old coach has taken charge of rebuilding a young team that he has succeeded in instilling with a winning spirit. Hence the very positive results recorded, which augur well for the Corbeaux's future. But Lamine Ndiaye is not about to be euphoric.
"Let us play quietly, not imagine things right now. Let us move forward calmly without putting ourselves under pressure," he declared, just after his club had qualified for the group phase of the Champions League. This season, Tout Puissant Mazembe are aiming to go far in this prestigious competition, in a bid to win another title after the very last one they won in 2015. But before entering the Champions League group phase, the Crows will have to contend with the African Football League, where they will meet Esperance de Tunis of Tunisia in the quarter-finals. The competition kicks off on October 20.
