Before the upcoming meeting against Al-Hilal of Sudan in the penultimate round of the group stage of the African Champions League, South African club Mamelodi Sundowns defeated Royal in the local league 5-1 in the 23rd round.
The Egyptian club Al-Ahly sets its sights on the match that brings the two teams together, as it is influential in qualifying the red giant from the group to the quarter-finals.
Sundowns ranks first in Group Two of the African Champions League with 10 points, then Al Hilal ranks second with 9 points, Al Ahly ranks third with 4 points, and Cameroonian Cotton ranks last with no points.
The South African Sundowns will face the Sudanese Al-Hilal, on Saturday, at the Blue Jewel Stadium, while the Cameroonian Cotton will face Al-Ahly, on Friday, before they play the final round next Thursday, where the Sundowns will play against Al-Qattan and Al-Hilal against Al-Ahly.
The absence of 11 players from Sundowns
South African club Mamelodi Sundowns announced that 11 players had been injured 4 days before facing Al-Hilal of Sudan.
The South African club published a tweet announcing the absence of 11 players from the team’s list, and the list of Sundowns injuries came as follows:
- Rochen de Roc… a hamstring injury.
- Rivaldo Coetze…a hamstring injury.
- Libong Mabue.. knee injury.
- Gaston Sirino.. Ankle injury.
- Lady Kabinga.. physical unpreparedness.
- Sfilili Mokhlis.. injured in the thigh.
- Bongani Zungi.. knee injury.
- Abu Bakr Nasser.. Ankle injury.
- Gift Motoba.. physical unpreparedness.
- Saavedra .. lack of physical readiness.
- Thabiso Cotumela.. physical unpreparedness.
Earlier, Khaled Ali, coordinator of the Sundowns team, stressed that the South African champion will play against Al-Hilal of Sudan in order to win.
Khaled Ali said: “We will enter the Al-Hilal match, as the coach of the team, Rolani Mokoena, said, with the aim of winning, because he wants to continue his record of consecutive matches without defeat, and his calculations are all related to achieving victory in all confrontations.”
He added, “Coach Rolani told the players that he will not be satisfied unless we lift the CAF Champions League cup this season.”
And he continued, “There is no main player and another reserve player in Coach Rolani’s system within the Sundowns team, and any available player is essential, except for the injured only.”
And he continued, “Coach Rolani sent a strong message to the players that he plays for victory both inside and outside his stadium.”
And he continued: “Playing against Al-Hilal in order to expel Al-Ahly? This talk offends any professional team and any team that plays with honor, and it is not right to hesitate, and I want the fans not to feel upset because it has no basis in truth, and our primary goal is to avoid meeting first-level teams in the quarter-finals.”
He emphasized, “Sundowns’ goal is to be the first in the group to play the return match at home and face an easier opponent in the next round.”
How does the Egyptian Al-Ahly qualify for the quarter-finals?
- Al-Ahly’s chance to qualify still exists, provided that it beats Cameroonian Cotton and Al-Hilal Al-Sudanese, bringing its score to the tenth point.
- If Al-Ahly beat Al-Qatan and Al-Hilal, its score will reach 10 points, as its current score is 4 points.
- Al-Ahly’s fate is linked to the outcome of Al-Hilal’s match with the South African Sundowns in Sudan, where Al-Hilal’s victory means bidding farewell to Al-Ahly from the group stage.
- If the Sudanese team loses, this will mean that its balance stops at point 9, and this is the maximum number of points that it will reach (along with Al-Ahly’s victory over it in the final match), and then Al-Ahmar will surpass it by one point.
- In the event that Al-Hilal of Sudan tied with Sundowns, Al-Ahly will be required to beat Al-Hilal by at least two goals in the last round to settle qualification by excelling in direct confrontations.
