Familiar foes Pitso, Tau await Sundowns
Mokwena expects his ex-boss to ring changes for crunch CAF tie
Image: Tnani Badreddine
Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena expects a few changes to Al Ahly’s XI from Tuesday's 4-0 league win over Misr Lel Makkasa, when the two giants of African football clash.
Ahly and Sundowns face off in a CAF Champions League Group A match at Cairo International Stadium on Saturday (9pm).
Mokwena has sounded unconvinced that Ahly coach Pitso Mosimane, his erstwhile Sundowns master, will stick to the line-up that demolished Makkasa in the Egyptian Premier League.
“We watched their game last night [on Tuesday]. Clearly if you look at their line-up last night, you’re very sure that their centre-backs will be changed. Only Yasser [El Hanafi] from that back four is a dominant starter. They could still have [Akram] Tawfik, whom I am told is injured but you’ll never know in football, or Mohamed Hany to play at right-back,’’ said Mokwena.
Tawfik has been struggling with a ruptured cruciate ligament. His last game was against Future in the league in December.
While Mokwena understands that Ahly will be difficult to handle, the Brazilians tactician strongly feels the Champions League defending champions also know Sundowns won’t be pushovers. “We know it’s not going to be easy but I am sure the Al Ahly camp speaks the same language. They also have an understanding that it’s not going to be an easy game for them too,’’ noted Mokwena.
Having now gone four games without scoring, a thing that has hardly happened since he joined the Tshwane giants from Highlands Park in September 2020, marksman Peter Shalulile would be hoping to get his mojo back.
The 28-year-old striker last netted when Sundowns thumped second-tier side Richards Bay 4-0 in the first round of the Nedbank Cup nearly four weeks ago.
Apart from facing a familiar face in Mosimane, Sundowns will also be braced to come up against their former star Percy Tau, who has been injured but has been reported to have made a sufficient recovery to take the field at some stage tomorrow.
Should he play, it would be the first time Tau faces his former team, with whom he won a host of trophies including the Champions League in 2016. He left them in 2018 after being crowned PSL Footballer of the Year.