ASEC Mimosas will begin their CAF Champions League campaign against ASCK in Lome on Sunday with head coach Julien Chevalier warning his players against complacency. The first-leg tie in the opening preliminary round kicks off at 15:30 GMT, with the Ivorian side determined to make a strong return to continental football.
ASEC Mimosas arrive in Togo with clear ambitions, but Chevalier has stressed that his team must remain focused on the immediate challenge rather than look too far ahead. The club missed last season’s African campaign and are now aiming to re-establish themselves among the continent’s leading teams.
Their principal objective is to reach the group stage of the CAF Champions League, according to Chevalier.
“First, I want to reach the group stage. I did not get there last season and we need to make sure we return to the group stage. Last year, we were very disappointed not to qualify, so we will first concentrate on this opening step. Afterwards, there is nobody who would not like to win the Champions League. If we are capable of doing that, we will. Our objective is to show what we are capable of, and that starts with the preliminary round,” said Chevalier.
The ASEC Mimosas manager accepts that winning the competition is an ambition shared by every club involved, but he insists that such a target can only be considered after the immediate obstacles have been overcome.
The first of those challenges is ASCK, the Togolese champions, who will host the opening match in Lome. Sunday’s encounter will also bring back memories of ASEC Mimosas’ 2-1 defeat in the same city in 2024, although Chevalier has indicated that result will not dictate his approach to this tie.
He also refused to be distracted by confident statements coming from the ASCK camp. Rather than becoming involved in the pre-match exchanges, the French coach said his attention was fixed on preparing his own team and ensuring that his players perform effectively on the pitch.
Chevalier even responded with a touch of irony to the confidence shown by his opposite number, Yelato Silue, ahead of the two-legged contest. The ASEC Mimosas coach acknowledged that Silue’s comments had “helped him prepare for this match”.
The meeting in Lome will therefore launch both clubs’ continental campaigns with contrasting elements already evident before kick-off. ASCK will have home advantage and the confidence of its coach, while ASEC Mimosas will attempt to impose their own quality without underestimating the Togolese champions.
For Chevalier, however, the wider ambition remains secondary for now. ASEC Mimosas must first negotiate the preliminary round, beginning with Sunday’s first leg, if they are to achieve their stated goal of returning to the CAF Champions League group stage.