After a shaky start to their debut in the prestigious Orange CAF Champions League campaign, Sunshine Stars football Club of Nigeria will this week end be guest to Etoile Sportif of Sousse, Tunisia, just as CAF has appointed Paul Bassey General Coordinator for the Group B cracker involving T. P. Mazembe of Lubumbashi, Congo DR and Berekum Chelsea the Ghanaian champions.

For the Nigerian champions this is a match they are condemned to win given the loss of three points and two goals in their opening encounter, even at home.

Coach Gbenga Ogunbote was to say that too much respect for the defending champions cost them victory and though his wards woke up in the second half the damage had been done , one in which they will want to redress this week end.

In doing so, Sunshine will have to fall back on a superlative away record last year when they campaigned in the CAF Confederation Cup.

Early on last year they beat Tiko United of Cameroun 2-0 in Ijebu Ode and followed it up with a 1-0 away victory  in Cameroun. As they progressed they also went away to J.S. Kabylie of Algeria and beat them 2-1.

In the next round, after beating Motema Pembe of Congo DR 2-0 at home they went away to a 0-0 draw away in Stade de Martyrs in Kinshasha.

It is instructive to note that even the semi final confrontation which they surrendered to Club Africain of Tunisia, the battle was lost in Ijebu Ode when the visitors triumphed 1-0 only for the Nigerians to force them to a scoreless 0-0 in the second leg, too little too late.

Sunshine Stars are therefore no strangers to continental opposition especially the North African challenge in which they held their own last year. With a not too comfortable domestic record that includes a Confederation Cup ouster, this is the only competition that will keep Sunshine’s hope alive hence the need to rectify last forth night’s faux pas.

The club is lucky to have a quartet of experienced referees from Mauritius to handle the match. Referee Seechum will be assisted by compatriots Bootun Balkrishna, Rossaye Akhtar and Chitoree Garness.

The match is billed to kick off on Saturday by 22.00hrs in Stade Olympique de Sousse.

In Lubumbashi where 2010 champions Tout Puissant Mazembe will also need a win to counter the loss two week’s ago to El Ahly of Egypt, Paul Bassey will work with South African referees led by Benneth Daniel and Ndoye Mbaye the Match Commissioner from Senegal.