Mamelodi Sundowns will look to pull away from the chasing pack at the top of the Betway Premiership with all three points against Stellenbosch on Wednesday.
New head coach Miguel Cardoso secured a narrow 1-0 win over Raja Casablanca in the CAF Champions League in his first game in charge.
In the league, Downs are currently level with second placed Orlando Pirates and just a point clear of Polokwane City in third.
Next up for the leaders is a Stellies side that defeated Downs in the semi-finals of the MTN8 in August and who are just six points worse off in fourth place with 15 points.
They saw off Angolan side Lunda Sul 1-0 in their most recent CAF Confederation Cup tie, after a 3-1 loss to RSB Berkane and 1-0 league victory over Pirates.
Following his side’s win, Cardoso said in the Citizen: “I believe the players are better and the players believe their coaches are even better.
“When you manage the game with so many tactical approaches and in the end, do things in the right way, it makes us believe in ourselves and the structure from everybody.
“The players and I felt that commitment from the very first day and I understood that from the very first day.
“I don’t put myself up too much when we win a game but we need stability. Remember, I spoke about not perfection but consistency so let’s be consistent in our behaviour so that we can arrive somewhere.
“Today was an important one so let’s recover and focus on the next match. The group stage is completely open so let’s be at our best every day and today was obviously very important to get on that path.”
Stellies boss Steve Barker was, meanwhile, proud of his side for securing their first CAF win.
He said: “This victory is a testament to our resilience. We hit the woodwork three times, but we kept believing, and that paid off with the last-minute winner.
“Tactically, we had to adapt during the game. The substitutions we made were crucial, and it was those changes that finally helped us break through Lunda Sul’s defence.
“This win is a massive boost for our morale. After a tough start in the group stages, this proves to the players that we can compete and win at this level.”