Mamelodi Sundowns may be focusing fully on the task at hand in their crucial CAF Champions League Group C tie against Saint Eloi Lupopo today, but they will have one eye open to the official homecoming of former coach Rulani Mokwena in Tshwane this week.
Sundowns face Mokwena’s MC Alger in what will be the sixth and final group stage encounter this weekend.
But first, Masandawana will have to get the job done against Lupopo under the scorching and sweltering heat of Lubumbashi in the DR Congo this afternoon. The game is scheduled to get underway at 3pm.
Prior to their Nedbank Cup game against minnows Gomora United midweek, where they were made to sweat for the win and qualify for the Last 16, Sundowns were coming from a disappointing 2-1 defeat to Al-Hilal and will be desperate to record a positive result today against an equally wounded Saint Lupopo side.
Lupopo were outclassed last weekend by Mokwena’s Alger, who handed them a 2-0 defeat to make matters more interesting in their group, as the top two qualifying spots are still up for the taking.
Lupopo and Sundowns head into the encounter one point adrift, with the Congolese outfit bottom of the group with four and the reigning Premier Soccer League (PSL) champions on five points.
So, the expectation this afternoon is to see both teams leaving everything in search of a positive result ahead of the last round of matches.
For Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso, this will be a must-win and all-or-nothing type of a match, as he would not want to head into the last game under pressure, especially with Mokwena also on a mission of his own: planning to inflict pain and continue his Champions League dream at the expense of his former employers.
A win for Sundowns against the tricky Lupopo side will not only put the under-pressure Cardoso at ease, but South African football fans at large, as it will mean that the PSL will still have representation on the biggest stage of inter-club football.
Alger and Hilal played on Friday night (include the result)
