Mamelodi Sundowns need a home win in their final CAF Champions League Group C match at Loftus Versfeld to avoid a shock elimination at the hands of former head coach Rhulani Mokwena's MC Alger.
Current Masandawana boss Miguel Cardoso knocked Sundowns out of the 2023-24 Champions League semi-finals, beating Mokwena's side home and away with Esperance.
With Sundowns trailing Orlando Pirates by three points in the Betway Premiership, Cardoso is in desperate need of a repeat of his past success against Mokwena.
It is certainly the South African tactician who has had the better season of the two esteemed coaches. MC Alger top Ligue 1 by seven points with three games in hand and are on course, as it stands, to reach the Champions League quarter-finals as one of two teams advancing from Group C.
Sudan's Al-Hilal top the group with eight points, while MC Alger have seven. Sundowns are third with six points, while DR Congo's Saint-Éloi Lupopo have five.
Heading into the final round of group fixtures, all four teams have a chance of finishing in the top two.
Al-Hilal need only a draw against Lupopo in Kigali - where the Sudanese side is temporarily playing their home fixtures due to the ongoing civil war in their country - to progress. Likewise, MC Alger need only a draw at Loftus.
For Sundowns and Lupopo, only a win in their last fixtures would be enough to see them progress.
In the case of a two or three-way tie, head-to-head records between all tied teams would be the primary tiebreaker.
If Lupopo beat Al-Hilal, those two teams will be level on eight points, but the DR Congolese side would have four points from their two fixtures against each other and leapfrog the Sudanese team in the standings.
MC Alger picked up a win and a loss apiece in two fixtures against Al-Hilal and Lupopo. This means that in the case of a three-way tie, MC Alger would surpass Al-Hilal even if they were behind Lupopo - meaning that a draw against Sundowns would be enough for Mokwena's side to reach the quarter-finals in any scenario.
Key details:
Date: Saturday, Feb. 14 at 15:00 CAT (13:00 GMT)
Venue: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
How to watch: The match is scheduled to air live on SuperSport's DSTV channel 209 (SuperSport Variety 4)
Team news
Mothobi Mvala, Keanu Cupido, Bathusi Aubaas, Zuko Mdunyelwa and Monnapule Saleng were sidelined for Sundowns' 1-1 away draw with Saint-Éloi Lupopo. It is unclear where they stand in terms of availability.
Sundowns welcomed goalkeeper Ronwen Williams back into action after two weeks on the sidelines with a groin issue.
MC Alger midfielder Mohamed Benkhemassa is suspended for this match on account of having accumulated three yellow cards in their last three group fixtures.
Expected lineups
Mamelodi Sundowns
GK Ronwen Williams
LB Aubrey Modiba | CB Grant Kekana | CB Khulumani Ndamane | RB Khuliso Mudau
CM Jayden Adams | CM Marcelo Allende | CM Teboho Mokoena
LW Nuno Santos | ST Brayan León | RW Arthur Sales
MC Alger
GK Alexis Guendouz
LB Marwane Khelif | CB Ayoub Abdellaoui | CB Ayoub Ghezala | RB Yakoub Gassi
CM Mohamed Zougrana | CM Alhassane Bangoura | CM Oussama Benhaoua
LW Zinedine Ferhat | ST Chahreddine Boukholda | RW Moslem Anatouf
Stats:
Mamelodi Sundowns have only once failed to reach the knockout rounds of the CAF Champions League since winning the trophy in 2016. Their lone failure since then was in 2018, when they finished behind Wydad Casablanca and Horoya in Group C.
The last time MC Alger made the Champions League quarter-finals in back-to-back seasons was in the 1970s - when they won the Cup of Champions Clubs (as it was then called) in 1976 and made the last eight in 1977.
After making the 2024-25 Champions League quarter-finals, they can repeat this feat for the first time if they win or draw against Sundowns to make the knockout rounds again.