CAF Champions League: Mamelodi Sundowns ready to Overcome first leg defeat In Tunis.

 

Mamelodi Sundowns are ready to overcome their first leg defeat to the Tunisian giants Esperance in the return leg of CAF Champions League semifinal at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria.

With Esperance Tunis holding a slender 1-0 lead from the first leg in Rades, all eyes will be on Mamelodi Sundowns as they aim to overturn the deficit and secure their spot in the final.

Yan Sasse's decisive 41st-minute goal in the previous encounter has set the stage for an intense battle as both teams vie for supremacy on Friday.

However the South African football powerhouse “Masandawana” as nicknamed confidence is that at home, they have been excellent in the Champions League as they have lost only one of their 31 matches, and that was against CR Belouizdad three years ago in the group stage.

Sundowns also remain unbeaten at home in the knockout matches with six wins and a draw. A 2-0 victory will be enough to see Rulani Mokwena's side reach their third final, while a 1-0 win will see the match go into penalties and hope to use their home advantage to reach back to back finals for the first time in the club history

Sundowns players

But they come against a side which defensively has proved difficult to bridge. Esperance have conceded three goals in this competition this season, only against Al Hilal away from home when they lost 3-1 in December.

Since then, they have kept 10 clean sheets in 11 matches, and with Sundowns having failed to score in three successive games in the knockout phase, this should be a concern coming up against a side that hardly concedes.

The Brazilians will welcome key player Teboho Mokoena after he missed the first leg in Tunisia last week due to an injury he picked up in a DStv Premiership match against Moroka Swallows whose impact will be important tonight and also the prowess of their goal machine Lucas Ribeiro who has already netted 11 goals in the Premiership.

Speaking in a press conference, Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena said that they understand the pressure that comes with playing after a loss in the first leg, but hopes for a positive result.

“We are aware of our last performance in the competitions but with positivity, enthusiasm and most importantly playing in front of our fans the ‘Masandawana Family’ the team can overcome the result and reach the final.” Mokwena said.

Mokwena and Cardoso during the firsy leg clash in Tunis.

“We know how important this game is for us and for the club, we enjoy playing this games, it brings the best out of us, we k know what to do to be in the final.” Mokwena added.

Sundowns goalkeeper Ronwen Williams while addressing media, said they will draw solace from their African Football League (AFL) success, when they went to Wydad Casablanca and lost the game but overturned the results in the second leg.

Sundowns Keeper Ronwen Williams

"We went to the AFL final second leg with a defeat but managed to overcome it, but that game was a bit different because we had an away goal, however we also draw inspiration from the European Champions League that we watched recently, games of Manchester City, Real Madrid, PPSG, ... just go out there, play and win the game.” Williams said.

Esperance coach Miguel Cardoso in a press conference highlighted the importance of the game and is ready to take his boys to the finals.

Cardoso speaking during a press conference photo by CAF online.com

“This is the match of the season for us, it’s a crucial moment because we are playing in the semifinal of the Champions league, I hope my players will be fit and we can achieve a positive result.”

“We studied sundowns well by watching many matches, we k now they are a formidable team but we are confident in our abilities and will focus on our strengths.” Cardoso noted.

“The game will be very hard for everyone but we are capable of making the difference at any point of the match with the experience and talent we have in the team to qualify for the final,” Cardoso added.

Speaking ahead of the tie, Esperance midfielder Oussema Bouguerra has urged his side to finish the job and once again qualify for the final of Africa’s premium club competition.

“We did well in the first leg in Tunisia and we are here to finish the job. Hopefully we will win and qualify for the final,” said Bouguerra.

Bouguerra speaking to media photo by samuel Shivumbu

“We know this Sundowns team very well but we also know that we can win here because we have a tradition in this competition and we are here to win the match. When you play for a big team like Esperance, you know that you are going to play in these matches against other top clubs and you are expected to win.

The winner here meets the winners between defending champions Al Ahly and TP Mazembe who face each other in Egypt after a goalless draw in Lubumbashi. The final is to be played on a home and away basis.

The first leg to be played on Saturday, 18 May 2024 and the Second Leg a week after (on Saturday, 25 May 2024).