Comment by Matshelane Mamabolo
THIS is not how it was supposed to be.
Yet, such is the fickle nature of football at the highest level that forecasts and predictions often go horribly awry.
And they certainly have in this season’s edition of the CAF Champions League.
Mamelodi Sundowns and Raja Casablanca were pencilled in as the favourites to progress from Group B ahead of AS FAR Rabat and Maniema Union.
But with two matches to go, it is the less-fancied Moroccan side AS FAR topping the table with eight points – a good three ahead of Sundowns, while Raja have won just once in four matches and are a distant third with four points.
Champions in 2016, Sundowns began the current campaign intent on adding a second star above their crest, with their then-coach Manqoba Mngqithi expressing confidence the Brazilians have what it takes to reign supreme in the continent’s premier club knockout competition.
Two matches into the campaign, the South African champions had just two points and Mngqithi was sent packing, replaced as he was by Portuguese mentor Miguel Cardoso.
The man who reached last year’s final with Esperance de Tunis has his work cut out for him as he seeks to ensure the Brazilians go through, last weekend’s defeat at Raja having now thrown the group open.
Sundowns are away to Maniema on Saturday in Kinshasa (3pm kick-off), and have to win to stay in the hunt as victory will keep them in second place. They might go top should Raja beat AS FAR.
But Sundowns would no doubt be hoping for an AS Far victory because, should they win at Maniema, they will thus need just a single point from their home match against the Moroccans next weekend.
Though the DR Congo outfit are the group’s bottom dwellers, Sundowns will know only too well that a tough task awaits them in Kinshasa on Saturday.
The debutants might be winless, but they had taken points from each of the other three teams before last weekend’s defeat at AS FAR.
And though he was not part of the club then, Cardoso would have been told and most probably seen (via video footage) how close Maniema got to springing an upset at Loftus.
They are sure to be encouraged by that away performance and – now that they are hosting – will believe that they have the beating of their revered South African adversaries.
On Sundowns’ side, this match is one that could well give a proper indicator of Cardoso’s mettle.
While the defeat at Raja was his first since he replaced Mngqithi, such was the manner of it that it is bound to have left the team rattled.
Preparing for Saturday 💪#Sundowns #TotalEnergiesCAFCL #RabatsenaGape pic.twitter.com/IhynCMIZTa
— Mamelodi Sundowns FC (@Masandawana) January 8, 2025
Besides the hostility from the crowd who harassed the Sundowns players with laser beams, the match itself was pretty volatile, and the South Africans ended up losing two players – Bathusi Aubaas and Khuliso Mudau – to red cards.
Cardoso’s man-management capabilities would have been thoroughly tested this week as he worked to lift his players’ spirits to get them believing that the loss at Raja was but a small aberration.
Sundowns did not have a domestic match this week, and that could well have been a blessing and a curse at the same time.
Playing locally after that brutal match could have helped them regain their confidence, although being idle would also be advantageous, giving the team time to recover and be ready for Maniema.
The evidence of how the off-week affected them will be evident on Saturday as the Brazilians seek to stay in the hunt for a top-two spot that will see them qualify for the Champions League quarter-final that they were initially billed as a shoe-in for. | Independent Media Sport