AS Mande will be making their second CAF Women’s Champions League appearance after playing in the inaugural 2021 edition in Egypt.
The Malian side secured a spot at the 2023 edition in Cote d’Ivoire by winning the WAFU Zone A qualifiers in August in Liberia following their triumph in the round-robin tournament.
By sealing early qualification, Mande gave themselves maximum time to prepare for the finals from 5-19 November 2022.
On that debut at the continental tournament, AS Mande finished bottom of their group containing eventual runners-up Hasaacas Ladies of Ghana.
But coach Moustaph Laïcou Traoré is targeting an improved showing in Cote d’Ivoire where they have been drawn in Group B alongside defending champions AS FAR, Huracanes of Equatorial Guinea and Ghanaian side Ampem Darkoa Ladies.
Veteran striker Awa Traore, who scored Mande’s first ever Champions League goal last year, will be key along with leading qualifying scorer Oumou Toure.
The Malians will be determined to advance from the group stage on this second crack at Africa’s elite women’s club competition.
AS Mande Group Stage Match Schedule
06 November 2023
Huracanes FC vs AS Mande| 20:00 GMT I San Pedro Stadium
09 November 2023
AS Mande vs Ampem Darkoa| 20:00 GMT I San Pedro Stadium
12 November 2023
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AS Mande vs ASFAR CLUB| 20:00 GMT I Stade Ahmadou Gon Coulibaly, Korhogo
Head coach Moustaph Laico Traore: “My objective is to reach the final of this competition and if possible, bring the cup back home. The CAF Women’s Champions League means everything to me.
“Winning this title would do a world of good for Malian women’s football, of which AS Mandé is the main focus.
“I think we’ll be able to see a decentralisation of our football, because all the country’s big clubs are in Bamako. So if we do well, we’ll be able to see teams blossoming all over the country.”
Key player: Even though AS Mande will heavily rely on the experience of star striker Awa Traore, who scored the club’s first-ever goal in the competition when they lost 3-1 to Egypt’s Wadi Degla in the inaugural tournament, the real deal for the Malians is attacker Oumou Toure.
Toure, the top scorer in the WAFU Zone A qualifying campaign, and she will be key if AS Made are to advance from the group stage.
The speedy approach to her game will be a worry for their opponents as she demonstrated during the regional tournament where she emerged as a top player.