Cassius Mailula of Mamelodi Sundowns controls possession during the DStv Premiership 2022/23 match against Stellenbosch FC at Danie Craven Stadium Cassius Mailula of Mamelodi Sundowns controls possession during the DStv Premiership 2022/23 match against Stellenbosch FC at Danie Craven Stadium in Stellenbosch on 5 March 2023. Picture: Shaun Roy, BackpagePix
Cape Town – Mamelodi Sundowns are facing another epic showdown with Egyptian giants Al Ahly at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday afternoon.
The two CAF Champions League teams will go into the match with contrasting fortunes. Sundowns were held to a 1-1 draw by rookies Stellenbosch. Admittedly Sundowns were resting their best players with the Al Ahly match in mind.
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Al Ahly, playing at home, ran their Cameroonian visitors Coton Sport ragged and won 3-0. The bad news for Sundowns was that their former player Percy Tau was one of the stars for Al Ahly and is sure to lead the attack at Loftus this week.
However, Sundowns coach Rhulani Mokwena will have to send out his best side this week and he will be relying on certain players to anchor his side's challenge against the 10-time CAF Champions League winners.
Cassius Mailula must be the first name on the team sheet. The 21-year-old Mailula came on as a sub on Sunday against Stellenbosch. The highly-rated attacker was on the scoresheet 11 minutes later.
Up to that time, the Sundowns attack seemed to struggle in the firing zone but he showed a deft touch at a goalmouth melee, which Stellenbosch battled to clear. It was the only goal Sundowns managed despite a glut of scoring opportunities.
Next up must be ace marksman Peter Shalulile whose play seems to thrive when he plays alongside Mailula. The reason is that Mailula usually produces a workmanlike shift and that takes the opposition's attention off Shalulile.
Two big finishes by The Brazilians! 🎯
— Mamelodi Sundowns FC (@Masandawana) March 7, 2023
Take a look at Shalulile’s well-timed tap-in and Morena’s fantastic finish in Cairo as The Brazilians prepare for the #TotalEnergiesCAFCL on home ground this Saturday🔥!
Choose your favorite goal in the comments below.#Sundowns pic.twitter.com/wid6AIN5ut
Shalulile scored a hat-trick in a Nedbank Cup match last Thursday and that suggests he is in excellent form. On Saturday however, the Stellenbosch defence marked him tightly.
In light of what has gone before, perhaps more important than Shalulile and Mailula is goalkeeper Ronwen Williams. Al Ahly won't forget him in a hurry because he denied them victory in Cairo two weeks ago when the sides played to a 2-2 draw.
Williams was terrific between the sticks and withstood a barrage of attacks from all angles. He also denied Tau on occasions, when his defence was unable to contain the threat in the striking zone.
Central defender Grant Kekana is a good bet to provide Williams with adequate protection in central positions in the Sundowns’ goalmouth. Kekana was effective in Cairo apart from the times he left his post to join attacking forays.
On Saturday, he kept his cool as the Stellenbosch rookies tried to outsmart them with pace. He has a penchant for sparking counter-attacks with long passes from deep options.
Aubrey Modiba is another defender that will help to anchor the team against Al Ahly. He was not included in last Saturday's line-up but joined the fray when Sundowns felt the need to slam the brakes on the threatening Stellenbosch.
He was average against Al Ahly in Cairo and he is unlikely to repeat that performance because he's capable of much more. Like Kekana he can lay on excellent passes when he spots gaps in the opposition's midfield.