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Comitis aiming to reach CAF Confed final

Cape Town - Cape Town City owner John Comitis has set head coach Benni McCarthy a mandate to reach the CAF Confederation Cup final in the club's first foray into the competition.

The Citizens are set to make their debut in the continental tournament in early February - within only their second year since formation.

Having qualified through their third-place finish in the 2016/17 Premiership season, the 2017 Telkom Knock-Out Champions have been set lofty ambitions by their owner.

McCarthy's first challenge will be qualifying the Blue and Gold Army into the Group stages of the continental showpiece, which is the equivalent to the Europa League as a second-tier competition to the Champions League.

Young Buffaloes will be their first-round opposition and if they overcome a two-legged tie with the Swaziland top-flight side, a date with either Galaxy FC of Botswana or Clube de Desportos da Costa do Sol of Mozambique - will stand in their way of the group phase.

"The target is to go all the way, there are no compromises," Comitis told IOL Sport. "It's a good thing that we have been handed a relatively easy start and not a start from hell. Swaziland is easy to access, which means that the logistics are easy. 

"They aren't a footballing powerhouse, so expecting a positive result in our first match isn't a tough ask.

"We will put our strongest squad in this competition," Comitis added. "If you look at our team, it's not too far-fetched to think that we can reach the group stage. 

"We are an ambitious team that's always looking to grow. This competition is an ideal opportunity to do so by taking our brand across the continent.

"What Sundowns, SuperSport and (Orlando) Pirates have done in these competitions motivates us to go all the way.

"There is now more prestige in playing in these competitions and CAF have got their act right which is why we fancy our chances."

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