Stellenbosch FC coach Steve Barker is excited about the challenge of facing some of the best teams in Africa when they meet in the CAF Confederation Cup.

Stellies have been drawn in Group B alongside the likes of RS Berkane, Stade Malien and CD Lunda Sul.

Barker’s side will kickstart their participation in the group stages with a trip to Mali where they will take on Stade Malien on November 27, before playing house to CD Lunda-Sul.

“Once we qualified for the Group Stage, there was a lot of excitement and anticipation to see who we would get in the draw,” Barker said.

“Now that the draw is done, we’re even more excited to face the challenge and the quality of the teams in our group.

“There are some giants of African football with us, varied types of opposition from different parts of the continent, and some beautiful countries to travel to and visit as well.

“We can’t wait for it to start taking place and obviously our aim is to make sure we advance to the knockout stage of the competition.”

The Maroons are competing in the competition for the first time in the club’s history and Barker believes his side can progress to the next round of the competition.

“We’ve got to believe that we can be competition even though we are up against seasoned campaigners in CAF competitions,” he added.

“It’s important that we believe we have earned our right to be here and that we have as much of a chance as any other team to qualify.

“It’s about having the belief and trust in what we do while getting to experience different environments, stadiums, and teams with different tactical set-ups to what we might ordinarily be used to.

“All-in-all it’s a very exciting period and a massive opportunity for us to keep growing as a football club.”