Simba SC head coach Steve Barker welcomes 'familar' CAF Champions League group stage draw

Barker has been in charge of the Tanzanian giants since leaving Stellenbosch in December 2025.

His side find themselves at the top of the Tanzanian Premier League with eight wins from their opening eight games, two clear of second-placed Young Africans.

They cruised past Mighty Wanderers 7-1 in the CAF Champions League first qualifying round before seeing off FC 15 de Agosto with a 9-1 aggregate score.

Simba will play Pirates, Moroccan giants RS Berkane and Cameroon's Colombe Sportive, who are making their debut in the competition in Group C when the tournament resumes.

Speaking to AzamTV Sports, Barker welcomed the draw, saying: "Obviously, there are some really good teams in our group.

"I'm very familiar with RS Berkane, as Simba is from the [CAF] Confederation Cup, and when I was with Stellenbosch, we also played them. They're a big team from Morocco.

"Naturally, I'm excited to be playing against Orlando Pirates. I've always had many battles against them back in South Africa. They are a really good team, having won the Premiership last season, so they are a tough opponent. And whenever there's a newcomer like Colombe from Cameroon, that will also present a unique challenge."

"It's going to be a very challenging group for us, but if you want to reach the far end of such tournaments, you have to get through the group stages regardless of the opposition," Barker added.

"We have to find a way to ensure that we qualify for the knockout stages. I'm very excited overall and really looking forward to it."