A stuttering Arab Contractors side face a tough early test in their quest to go far in the Confederation Cup as they host Tunisia's Etoile Sahel in the first leg of the competition's first round on Tuesday.

The Mountain Wolves are seeking to make a fine impact on their first African appearance in 15 years, and they kicked off their campaign in impressive fashion after hammering Djibouti's Arta Solar 10-1 on aggregate in the preliminary round.

But Etoile will give them an entirely different test in which Contractors will be the underdogs, given the Tunisian side's vast experience in African competitions.

Etoile, winners of the lucrative Champions League in 2007, won the Confederation Cup twice, with their most recent triumph coming in 2015. They also reached the competition's semis in 2019 but lost to Cairo's Zamalek.

Contractors, who finished fourth in the Egyptian Premier League last season after some solid displays, made a poor start to the new campaign after losing their opening two matches.

Fellow Egyptian side and last season's finalists Pyramids FC have a more straightforward task as they meet Libya's Ittihad, with the two legs scheduled to take place in Egypt.

Pyramids, who were given a bye into the first round, will take on Ittihad in Alexandria in the away fixture on Tuesday before hosting them at the Air Defence Stadium in Cairo in the second leg.

The big-spending club have also made a disappointing start to the new season, collecting a solitary point from their opening two games in the domestic league.

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