Gavin Hunt insists that Stellenbosch FC will be a “different team” ahead of the Club’s CAF Confederation Cup Group Stage encounter against CR Belouizdad.

Stellenbosch FC will host Algerian side CR Belouizdad at DHL Stadium on Sunday in the second meeting between the two sides in the space of a week, with Stellies having suffered a 2-0 defeat in the reverse fixture in Algiers last weekend.

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Speaking ahead of the match, Maroons coach Gavin Hunt was optimistic about his side’s chances of putting in an improved performance and stressed the importance of doing well in the Confederation Cup.

“…In Algeria, I thought they were better than us on the night and physically stronger,” Hunt said.

“Did we have chances? Yes, and we certainly could have done better in that department, but I think the travelling took a lot out of us because we didn’t look ourselves.

“I’m sure we’ll be a different team on Sunday, that’s for sure. We’re always trying to improve and looking ahead, and a lot of new players have come in, so there will be a few changes for this match.”

He added, “I enjoy CAF and think it’s important for South African players to go as far as possible in the competition,” he said. “I know teams are financially strained on everybody because it’s a big financial strain and a strain in terms of travel.

“But it’s good for the players in terms of developing that mentality, and in terms of physicality, it’s a totally different ball game from the PSL. In our last match, there could have been two or three cards and about 10 yellow cards, but there wasn’t one.

“That makes us tougher, and I think the more we can compete in these tournaments the better it is for our clubs and for our national team, so it’s important for us to put in a good performance and try get a good result.”

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The CAF Confederation Cup match between Stellenbosch FC and CR Belouizdad is scheduled to kick off at 15h00 at DHL Stadium on Sunday, 1 February 2026. Tickets are on sale for R40 from Webtickets and the match will be broadcast live on SABC 2 and SuperSport.