After a successful weekend in the Nedbank Cup, Mamelodi Sundowns will shift their focus to their first leg of the CAF Champions League quarterfinals, where they will square off against Esperance Sportive De Tunis this afternoon at 15:00.
Masandawana qualified for the knockout rounds after finishing top of the Group B table.
Bafana Ba Style come from a match which was played on Friday, providing them only three days to prepare for their quarterfinal match. This, according to coach Miguel Cardoso, will not stop the team from giving an outstanding performance.
“We could not profit from more time to prepare for this game. Regarding recovery, everyone will be recovered by Tuesday. We have had enough time to recover, we just didn’t have enough time to prepare. This, however, doesn’t take away the high level of performance we are going to display on the pitch. The team will for sure be ready for a good game tomorrow and the challenges we’ll face,” he said.
The two sides met last year in the Champions League semifinals, where Esperance knocked out the Pretoria-based side.
Coach Miguel Cardoso says the Esperance side Masandawana played last season is not the same and will have to deal with the new challenges they bring to the pitch.
He said: “The Esperance team is different from the one they played last year, in terms of players and the style of play. What we expect is a side that is loyal to Esperance’s style of play. We will, however, from the first minute, search for the result we need to advance to the next round.”
How to watch
Kick-off: 15:00
Venue: Loftus Versfeld Stadium
TV channel: DStv channel 202, SABC 1
Digital viewing: DStv Stream, SABC+
Other: Follow the team’s official social media pages for live updates
Head-to-head
06/10/2001: Esperance 0 – 0 Sundowns
02/06/2017: Sundowns 1 – 2 Esperance
21/06/2017: Esperance 0 – 0 Sundowns
20/04/2024: Esperance 1 – 0 Sundowns
26/04/2024: Sundowns 0 – 1 Esperance
Players to watch
Exciting winger Elias Mokwana will be on home soil once again just over a week after he was in Polokwane with Bafana Bafana in the fifth round of the 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifiers.
The Esperance attacker has been the live wire in for the Tunisians this campaign with three goals and a single assist in five games.
Playing in South Africa, Mokwana should be motivated to perform in front of a familiar audience.
Bafana head coach might be in attendance as there will be a host of national team players in action, and Mokwana is likely to be Esperance’s ace.
Peter Shalulile and Iqraam Rayners are Masandawana’s top goal scorers in the Champions League with two strikes each in half-a-dozen games.
Al Ahly’s Emam Ashour and CR Beloluizdad star Aymen Mahious are the joint top goalscorers with four goals apiece.
As strikers, Shalulile and Rayners’ natural instinct is to become the top goalscorer.
With Downs playing at home, Sundowns are poised to take charge of this game and if the Brazilians are to do well, Shalulile, Rayners together with star player Lucas Ribeiro will have to be on song.
Recent form
Mamelodi Sundowns
01/03/2025: Sundowns 1 – 0 Kaizer Chiefs
05/03/2025: Golden Arrows 1 – 1 Sundowns
11/03/2025: Sundowns 2 – 0 AmaZulu
16/03/2025: Orlando Pirates 2 – 1 Sundowns
28/03/2025: Sundowns 1 – 0 Sekhukhune United
Esperance
22/02/2025: CA Bizertin 2 – 1 Esperance
26/02/2025: Esperance 3 – 0 Etoile Sahel
01/03/2025: AS Gabes 0 – 2 Esperance
08/03/2025: Esperance 1 – 1 Ben Guerdane
12/03/2025: JS Omrane 2 – 2 Esperance
Betting tips
Mamelodi Sundowns 9/10 | Draw 22/10 | Esperance 28/10
Value bet: Esperance
Best bet: Sundowns
In eight meetings, Sundowns got the better of Esperance in the 2000 edition where the Tunisian went on to become the champions of Africa. Since then, Esperance have dominated this tie as they beat Downs 1-0 in the last two outings.
Be that as it may, the Brazilians are no pushovers and since they are at home, Cardoso is expected to map out a solid plan against his former employers.
Not many teams can claim to have gone to Sundowns’ backyard and walked away with all smiles this season.
Esperance, on the other hand, have the blueprint of how to navigate this competition as they reached the final under the leadership of Cardoso last term and are four-time holders of the African holy grail.
The fact that the Portuguese knows the DNA of the team might work to Sundowns’ favour, leaving this tie wide open. To win on this match, head over to Hollywoodbets.net!