Mamelodi Sundowns will have to dig deep in Cairo on Saturday night if they are to continue with their impressive winning streak.
And their head coach has no illusions when it comes to the threat possessed by their opponents, Al Ahly SC in all departments on the field of play.
“I can tell you they’re a team that has technically very good players that play in positions, where you need important players to decide the result and Abdelkader, Sherif, Afsha, Percy, and Abdelmonem at center-back, important for them with regards to set-pieces.
“Dieng in the midfield, his aggressivity, the energy he gives the team, and also danger he offers in second phases of set-pieces with shots from range. El Shenaway is a goalkeeper that has done it all, both at domestic and national team level.
“Hany, Maâloul, very experienced, good technical ability and then, of course, a team that has a lot of physicalities, a team that has a lot of speed on the counter attack, a team that has a lot of threat on set-pieces.”
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The astute tactician is also aware of the added advantage the Red Devils have because of their international experience, having recently taken part in the FCWC.
But he also believes Al Ahly have equal respect for the Brazilians, having tasted defeat twice against the South African champions.
“They are a team with good international experience, the feelings of going to a Club World Cup and playing against Flamengo, Seattle Sounders and even Real Madrid, but they know we’re a team that beat them twice last season – we beat them home and away, they know. So they will come with a lot of respect for us, just as we have for them,” he concluded.
The Egyptian giants will be looking for nothing but all the three points against Downs, having suffered a 1-0 defeat against Al Hilal Omdurman in their opening group stage game.
On the other hand, Mokwena recently mentioned how Downs would love to get near ten points as soon as possible, to make their chances of qualifying for the quarterfinals a reality.
The two above factors mean both sides everything to play for.
Kickoff will be at 21:00.
