Mamelodi Sundowns will visit Stade Malien at Bamako's Stade du 26 Mars on Sunday with a comfortable 3-0 aggregate lead in the bag already ahead of the second leg of their CAF Champions League quarter-final.
Khuliso Mudau, Brayan León and Iqraam Rayners scored last Friday in the first leg at Loftus Versfeld to give last season's runners-up a commanding lead.
The Brazilians will need to have their guard up, however. Rivals Orlando Pirates beat Saint-Éloi Lupopo 3-0 in the preliminary rounds but were eliminated from the tournament due to a prior shock 3-0 defeat in DR Congo.
For Sundowns' trip to Mali, they will know that in African football, the unexpected can happen at any moment. Should they see out this test, a tougher one on paper awaits, as they will face either Al Ahly or head coach Miguel Cardoso's old club, Espérance de Tunis, in the semi-finals.
Espérance currently hold a 1-0 aggregate lead in their quarter-final tie against the Egyptian giants after the first leg. In the CAF Champions League, away goals count, so it is tremendously helpful for Sundowns and Espérance that they each kept clean sheets in their first leg victories.
For Sundowns, one of the major challenges will be guarding against player fatigue. After their 3-0 win over Stade Malien last Friday, they picked up a scrappy 3-1 Betway Premiership win over Marumo Gallants on Tuesday.
That put Sundowns top of the Betway Premiership, which appeared highly unlikely two months ago. However, their fortunes have changed for the better.
Key details
Date: Sunday, March 22 at 18:00 CAT (16:00 GMT)
Venue: Stade du 26 Mars, Bamako, Mali
How to watch: The match is scheduled to air on SuperSport Variety 4 (DSTV channel 209)
Team news
Sundowns striker Iqraam Rayners missed out on the Bafana Bafana squad announced by Hugo Broos on Thursday. For Sundowns, it could be a blessing in disguise, as they will be able to keep him under their supervision over the international break.
However, with many of his players still likely set to be in action for South Africa in their matches against Panama on March 27 & 31, Cardoso will have to decide how to handle rotation.
Expected lineups
Stade Malien
GK Cheick Sy
LB Francis Awine | CB Ismaila Simpara | CB Babe Diarra | RB Abdoul Bode
CM Ahmadou Bello | CM Gilbert Asamoah | CM Mamadou Traoré
LW Daouda Coulibaly | ST Taddeus Nkeng | RW Moussa Diallo
Mamelodi Sundowns
LB Fawaaz Basadien | CB Grant Kekana | CB Khulumani Ndamane | RB Zuko Mdunyelwa
CM Jayden Adams | CM Marcelo Allende | CM Teboho Mokoena
LW Nuno Santos | ST Iqraam Rayners | RW Tashreeq Matthews
Stats
Mamelodi Sundowns are playing in the CAF Champions League quarter-finals for the 8th successive season and seeking to make the semi-finals for the 4th time in a row, but have not been African champions since their first triumph in 2016.
Sundowns have won 6 games in a row in all competitions.
