The Brazilians could be eliminated from Africa’s premier club competition so they should be out to stage a fightback
Mamelodi Sundowns would be fighting to overturn last weekend’s deficit when they host Petro Atletico in a Caf Champions League quarter-final, second-leg clash at FNB Stadium on Saturday.
Having lost 2-1 away in Luanda last Saturday, the Brazilians risk being knocked out of this competition by the Angolan giants.
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It is a do-or-die battle for Masandawana who are bidding for their second ever Champions League title.
Their opponents have never been crowned African champions but their impressive display last week saw them presenting themselves as a team that cannot be ruled out of contention.
The team that progresses to the semi-finals from the FNB encounter will meet the winner between Wydad Casablanca and CR Belouizdad.
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Squads & Team News
Sundowns welcome back attacking midfielder Bradley Ralani who missed the first leg in Luanda and his creativity was being missed in the middle of the park.
George Maluleka is also expected to be back in the Masandawana team after also missing last weekend’s game.
Attacker Erwin Saavedra has been recovering from an injury sustained in February and could feature on the bench.
Players unavailable for Saturday’s game are Rivaldo Coetzee and Gift Motupa, while Haashim Domingo is doubtful.
After conceding two goals away, it is yet to be seen if Sundowns coaches will stick to the centre-back pairing of Mosa Lebusa and Brian Onyango or they will drop one of them to bring in Rushine De Reuck.
No Petro Atletico player is suspended for this match and that leaves Portuguese coach Alexandre Santos will a wide pool to select from.
Tiago Azulao will be keen to pick up from where they left off after grabbing the Angolans’ goals that beat Masandawana.
Match Preview
The result in Luanda was Sundowns’ first loss in the Champions League this season and they would be out to avoid another upset, this time at home.
It was also their first defeat in this competition since losing to Al Ahly in the quarter-finals last season.
Bowing out at the same stage of the competition is what they would be trying to avoid again.
Being unbeaten at home this season, Sundowns face a Petro Atletico side that is yet to win away from Angola in this competition this season.
Their last match away was a heavy 5-2 defeat by Wydad Casablanca in their last group game.
The Brazilians would be eager to capitalise on their opponents’ away record but could be worried by Petro’s 2-2 draw away at Zamalek as inspiration for the Angolans.