Mamelodi Sundowns could receive huge advantages ahead of their clash with Esperance

Mamelodi Sundowns could receive a massive morale boost ahead of their trip to Tunisia, where they’ll face Esperance in the CAF Champions League Tuesday night in the second leg of the quarter-finals.

The Brazilians will travel to North Africa on the back of a 1-0 victory over the Smiling One in the first leg last week.

While the score favours them, the suspension of their weekend Betway Premiership match against Stellenbosch could also work in their favour. Sundowns would have had ample time to prepare, having played their last game in the first leg on Tuesday night at home, at Loftus Versfeld.

This must have definitely pleased coach Miguel Cardoso, who had bemoaned that the local champions haven’t been supported by the PSL when it comes to match scheduling. With Cardoso revealing that players such as Mothobi Mvala and Themba Zwane were close to returning to full fitness, the week-long interval must have fast-tracked their progress.

Cardoso believes in having sufficient time to work on training with his team for huge matches that could define their season. However, due to the heavy schedule, the Portugal-born coach says he usually has only 20 minutes to work with his team because of the quick turnaround between matches.

His methodology seems to have worked a charm in recent weeks, as Sundowns are still in the running for the Betway Premiership, Champions League and Nedbank Cup. Their league campaign will be on hold this week, as they’ll face rivals Kaizer Chiefs in the Nedbank Cup semi-final at Loftus on Sunday.

Before that match, they would want to make sure they’ve qualified for the Champions League semi-final for a third successive season on Tuesday.

Apart from their lead and ample time to prepare for Esperance, they have Cardoso, who knows the North Africans like the back of his hand. Cardoso guided Esperance to the final of the continental showpiece last season, at the expense of Sundowns, as he beat them 2-0 after back-to-back semi-finals.

Cardoso will want to qualify for back-to-back semi-finals as he tries to win the coveted continental showpiece with Sundowns for the first time since 2016. So, while the urge for revenge and having Cardoso at their disposal could spur Sundowns on, there is more that could work to their advantage.

CAF could decide by today that the match should be played behind closed doors or at a neutral venue, following the chaos that broke out at Loftus last Tuesday.

A nearly fatal brawl between the supporters of the two teams occurred in the first leg, resulting in the Esperance supporters needing to be escorted out of the match venue. The North Africans were the perpetrators of the incident, throwing objects onto the pitch after the final whistle, resulting in the reiteration of the home fans.

The fight nearly took a turn for the worse, with one Esperance fan nearly losing his life after being left hanging in the stands while trying to run for safety. However, thanks to an intervention from Sundowns’ supporter Siboniso Masango, his life was saved as Masango whisked him back to the stands and safety.

So, should all these factors — the lead, enough time to prepare, Cardoso’s knowledge, the urge for revenge, and a ban on supporters — come into play, Sundowns could take a step closer to reaching the final in May.