Brazilians chase revenge against the Blood & Gold

Mamelodi Sundowns will chase revenge against Esperance de Tunis when the teams meet in the first-leg match of their CAF Champions League quarterfinal tie, set for the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria on the afternoon of Tuesday 1 April. Kick-off is at 3pm CAT.

MATCH BACKGROUND

Sundowns and Esperance met in the semifinals of last season’s Champions League, with the North African side prevailing (before going to lose to Al Ahly in the final) – so the Brazilians will very much see this tie as a chance to avenge that painful defeat at the hands of the Blood & Gold.

Sundowns earned their place in the final eight by finishing second in Group B behind ASFAR, while Esperance topped Group D (though only on goal difference ahead of Pyramids FC).

Where the Blood & Gold will have an advantage coming into this match is in terms of preparation time: Esperance have been inactive since a domestic league draw with JS Omrane on March 12, allowing them ample time since the international break to gear up for this clash and ensure they are fit and fresh for the trip to South Africa.

Sundowns, by contrast, had many players involved in key national team matches for South Africa and played a draining catch-up match in the Nedbank Cup quarterfinal this weekend. The quarterfinal tie against Sekhukhune United went to extra time and was only decided by a late strike from Jayden Adams – one of the players that starred for Bafana Bafana.

WHAT THE TEAMS ARE SAYING

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso on the advantage Esperance de Tunis will have had in their preparations:

“I know how they [Esperance] prepare [for the] Champions League, they do everything in the country so the teams in Tunisia can play in the best conditions, they played 10 days ago, even the national team didn’t have Esperance players.”

Esperance de Tunis’ South African winger Elias Mokwana on representing the Blood and Gold:

“We all know in Africa that Esperance is one of the biggest clubs in the world. So, I just wanted to come here to experience it and give my all. I’m a winner, I’m a player that likes to play on the line, take on the defenders, create opportunities for my teammates and score some goals for myself.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Jayden Adams, Mamelodi Sundowns

A rising star in midfield for club and country, Jayden Adams has found the back of the net for three games running for both the South African national team and Mamelodi Sundowns. The 23-year-old will hope to bring his hard-running energy and attacking instincts to this key Champions League clash.

Elias Mokwana, Esperance de Tunis

Once sought after by Mamelodi Sundowns in the transfer market, winger Elias Mokwana now has the chance to do damage to one of the biggest clubs in his native country. The 25-year-old’s pace, trickery and penetration from wide areas represents a clear threat to Mamelodi Sundowns’ Champions League hopes.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

In head-to-head terms, Sundowns and Esperance have met in eight previous matches (all in the Champions League), with the Blood & Gold claiming four wins compared to one for the Brazilians (plus three drawn games).

The teams met most recently in the semifinals of last season’s Champions League, with Esperance winning 1-0 both in Tunisia and South Africa (goals from Yan Sasse and Raed Bouchniba respectively) to take the tie 2-0 on aggregate.