Mamelodi Sundowns will be looking for a better away showing in the CAF Champions League when they face hosts Esperance de Tunis in the first leg of their semifinal tie, set for the Hammadi Agrebi Stadium in Tunis on the evening of Sunday.
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Kick-off is at 9pm CAT.
FORM
Sundowns had to sweat for their place in the semifinals of the continental competition: they appeared to be in great shape after a 3-0 home win over Stade Malien, but a 0-2 defeat in the return game in West Africa left them bruised, battered and breathing a sigh of relief at keeping their quest for a second Champions League title alive.
At least on the domestic front, the Brazilians have been in outstanding form: on Tuesday they racked up a 10th successive league win – defeating Durban City 1-0 away from home – to keep up their chase of a ninth straight Premiership title, as they top the log by two points.
As for Esperance, they made a statement of intent in the quarterfinals by defeating 12-time African champions Al Ahly of Egypt home and away for a 4-2 aggregate triumph. The Blood and Gold are dead-serious contenders for a fifth Champions League title.
Esperance come into the clash on the back of a 0-0 draw away to Etoile du Sahel in the Tunisian Ligue 1 this past weekend, a result which extended their unbeaten run to 10 matches across all competitions and kept them on top of their domestic league standings (albeit only by goal difference ahead of Club Africain).
WHAT THE TEAMS ARE SAYING
Esperance coach Patrice Beaumelle struck a confident tone ahead of the tie: “They [Sundowns] won the first leg [of their quarterfinal] by a big score, but what we showed [against Ahly] means we can deliver a strong performance against them in the semifinals.”
Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso wants his team to maintain their momentum: “Victories are very important for us so that we can fight in every game with the right energy. But we focus on performance and playing well and the way we have to play, because if we take the game in another direction, then we can be penalised.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Esperance – Mohamed Amine Tougai
A key figure in Esperance’s defence, Algerian centre-back Mohamed Amine Tougai also presents a major threat at the other end of the pitch, as shown by the two goals he scored against Al Ahly in the quarterfinals. The 26-year-old will back himself to put up another powerful showing against Sundowns.
Sundowns – Teboho Mokoena
Rested from the starting line-up in midweek, midfielder Teboho Mokoena will be fresh to take charge of the engine room on Sunday evening. The veteran’s ability to control the pace of the game, block off passing lanes and threaten with long-range shooting could give the Brazilians an edge across the tie.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
In head-to-head terms, Esperance and Sundowns have met in 10 previous Champions League matches. The Blood and Gold have claimed four wins compared to two for the Brazilians, while four games have been drawn.
The teams last met in the quarterfinals of last season’s Champions League, with Sundowns winning the tie 1-0 on aggregate (1-0 home, 0-0 away) thanks to a goal from Peter Shalulile.