Sundowns will be looking to overturn a one-goal deficit when they visit Stellenbosch on Sunday in MTN8 semi-final second-leg action on Sunday.
Stellies shocked the league champions in the first leg at Lucas Moripe Stadium with Fawaaz Basadien scoring from the penalty spot in the 65th minute.
Steve Barker has crafted a team that finished third in the league last season and won the Carling Knockout despite a number of their quality players being poached in recent seasons, including striker Iqraam Rayners to Sundowns and right back Deano Van Rooyen to Orlando Pirates in recent days.
The Winelands outfit have a crucial away goal in their back pocket and will likely sit back and allow Sundowns onto them while choosing the right time to pounce on the counter-attack.
For Sundowns, goalkeeper Denis Onyango is suspended and Ronwen Williams is injured meaning Jody February should start in goal. New signing Kegan Johannes is injured in defence but veteran playmaker Themba Zwane is due to return to action.
Meanwhile, Brian Onyango is in line to make his debut for Stellenbosch, having recently swapped Downs for the Western Cape outfit.
Speaking after the first leg, Barker believes his side will create opportunities and it’s just a matter of taking them.
“It’s going to be key for us in that second leg to take the chances we create. Because, if we don’t, it’s just not going to be possible to defend for 90 minutes. So we’re going to have to be brave.
“We’re going to have to continue to play and take the game to them whenever it is possible. In one or two situations we should have been a bit more clinical and we may have come away with even a bigger lead.
“But I’ll take that. Be humble enough to accept that a 1-0 away win is a massive result for us,” Barker said.
Meanwhile, a defiant Sundowns boss Mngqithi believes the loss is just the wake-up call his team needed
“The most important thing is to prepare for this match and go through because when we do that, we’ll be helping ourselves with a chance to get into another final. I don’t think the final against Pirates, we lost because they were a better team, to be honest we committed silly errors even there,” he concluded.