Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns will be back in CAF-Champions League action today, as they are edging closer to qualifying for the group stages of the continental competition.
Pirates will face Saint-Éloi Lupopo of the Democratic Republic of Congo for their second preliminary round encounter in Lubumbashi at 3pm.
The Buccaneers have gone 11 games unbeaten in all competitions and will be looking to pick up from where they left off and continue their fine form.
They go up against a tricky Lupopo outfit under tough weather conditions. Their home fans are also known to be very hostile, so the Bucs must brace themselves for a difficult assignment.
Sundowns, on the other hand, are in Nigeria to take on the reigning Nigeria Professional Football League champions, Remo Stars, in Abeokuta, this evening.
Their game will get underway at 5pm. Similar to Sundowns, Remo Stars did not have the best of starts to their new season, as they have been blowing hot and cold. But unlike Masandwana, who sit on top of the Betway Premiership standings, Stars languish in position 13 of the NPFL.
Both teams head into this encounter on the back of defeats and will be looking to return to winning ways.
“Them losing their previous games will not really count for anything because getting a game like this will be a morale booster for their players. So, they’re going to forget what happened before,” said Sundowns utility player Thapelo Morena.
“They are going to focus on what’s going to be happening with this game. But for us, it’s a bonus that we know we can look into the game and see where we can utilise and see their weaknesses.”
“The atmosphere at first is going to be crazy because after Bafana Bafana played Nigeria [in the World Cup qualifiers in Bloemfontein], Remo Stars won their first round of qualification to set up a meeting against us, and there were a lot of things said, so the atmosphere is going to be crazy,” Morena added.
