The Brazilians get their Caf Champions League group stage campaign underway with a home clash against the Angolans this weekend
Mamelodi Sundowns will be at home for their opening match of the Caf Champions League group stage against Petro de Luanda.
The Brazilians fell at the semi-final stage last season and will want to go a step further this time around.
With this being their home match, Pitso Mosimane would want to see his side collect maximum points and send a strong statement to familiar foes Wydad Casablanca who are also strong favourites to advance to the knockout stages.
Petro de Luanda are a closed book to Sundowns but they know how Mosimane’s team plays and what to expect from them which could prompt the technical team to tweak their tactics to avoid being caught off guard.
| Game | Mamelodi Sundowns vs Petro de Luanda |
| Date | Saturday, November 30 |
| Time | 21:00 SA time |
TV Channel, Live Score & How To Watch
The match will not be shown on TV.
| Online Streaming | TV Channel |
|---|---|
| Safa.net – South African Football Association Facebook | N/A |
The Tshwane giants will be without a few of their key players for this encounter against Petro de Luanda.
Hlompho Kekana is still serving his suspension and will therefore not be available for this match in Tshwane.
Also unavailable is Phakamani Mahlambi, who had to withdraw from the SA U23 Afcon squad due to the injury he suffered on the eve of the tournament in Egypt.
Themba Zwane is back but Mosimane has already indicated he will not rush him back because he would need the attacker for the Telkom Knockout Cup final against Maritzburg United on December 14.
Mosimane will then be expected to pin his hopes on Gaston Sirino and Mauricio Affonso among other players.
The presence of Dennis Onyango will be crucial in their attempt to start this campaign on the front foot.
Petro de Luanda have some quality players in their team with central midfielder Manguxi and Isaac Mensah the two players Sundowns should be wary about.
Mensah has already scored twice in this year’s competition for Petro de Luanda – both goals came against Matlama of Lesotho in the preliminary rounds.
The Angolans also have players such as Job and Bevindo Afonso to pin their hopes on should Manguxi and Mensah not come to the party on the night.
Match Preview
This will be the first meeting between Mamelodi Sundowns and Petro de Luanda in the Caf Champions League.
The Angolans are yet to lose a match so far in this competition – registering two wins and drawing twice in their opening two matches of the tournament.
Petro de Luanda beat Matlama home and away before drawing twice against KCCA in the previous round.
They qualified for the group stages on away goal rule after drawing 0-0 at home and securing a 1-1 draw away to KCCA.
Sundowns, on the other hand, lost their opening match of the preliminary rounds to Otoho d’Oyo but bounced back to record three consecutive wins afterwards.
They set a new Champions League record for the biggest win registered with that 11-1 victory over Cote d’Or in the previous round.
In total, Sundowns have scored a whopping 21 goals in four Champions League matches this season and they will want to take that form into the group stages.
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