With the CAF Champions League quarterfinal draw being conducted tonight, Soccer Laduma puts the spotlight on who the DStv Premiership champions Mamelodi Sundowns could face, with statistics on the continent and in their domestic leagues.
Sundowns cruised to a top place finish in Group B, going unbeaten yet again as they completed another round robin phase ahead of Egyptian giants Al Ahly. After getting knocked out in the last eight by Angolan side Petro de Luanda last season, the dominant South African champions will be working harder than before to ensure their impressive group stage performances were not for nothing.
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Here's who Sundowns could face
JS Kabyile (Algeria)
The Algerian side missed out on a top place finish in group A, getting hammered 3-0 by group winners Wydad Casablanca on matchday six. Going into the final group matches, Kabyile were top of the standings and needed a draw to finish top, but they were given a hiding by the Moroccan giants. During the group campaign, Kabyile won three matches, drew one and lost two. All their victories were registered at home, conceding just once in their backyard. They were not so ruthless at home, scoring four goals in three matches. What's interesting is that all the goals they scored at home came in the second half, between 60 and 90 minutes. Should Sundowns come up against Kabyile, they would need to be aware of the threat the Algerians pose at home in the final 30 minutes of the match. Away from home, Kabyile did not win a game and they had a horrible record of not scoring at all on the road. In domestic football, Kabyile are struggling in 15th place in the 16-team Algerian league, while Sundowns have wrapped things up in the DSTV Premiership, which gives them time to fully focus on going all the way in the Champions League.
Simba SC (Tanzania)
Their biggest win in the group stages was a 7-0 hammering of Horoya, but they showed that they can be vulnerable in defence against a big opponent when they were conceded six goals in two matches against Moroccan giants Raja Casablanca. Raja hammered Simba 3-0 in Dar es Salaam and then beat them 3-1 in Casablanca. Sundowns are well known for doing their homework on opponents and the scouting team at Chloorkop would no doubt have Simba's matches against Raja on video for the players to watch, if they are drawn to play against the Tanzanian giants, who lost three matches during the group campaign. Outside of the 7-0 victory over Horoya, Simba were not so ruthless in front of goal. They beat Ugandan side Vipers 1-0 twice and scored in the 3-1 defeat to Raja. In the Tanzanian Premier League, Simba are in second place, eight points behind Young Africans after 24 matches. With six matches to go, the title might not be within reach, so they could put a lot more of their attention in the Champions League to attempt to win it for the first time in their history. Sundowns cannot take them lightly.
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CR Belouizdad (Algeria)
Belouizdad is another Algerian team Sundowns could face in the quarterfinals. They finished a point behind group D winners Esperance and could have actually at the summit had they beaten the Tunisian giants on matchday six. During the group campaign, Belouizdad were not ruthless in the final third but were also quite stingy at the back. They scored just four goals and conceded twice, keeping four clean sheets. Two of those clean sheets were against Egyptian giants Zamalek, who struggled during the round robin phase. In Algerian league, Belouizdad are top of the standings with a four point lead, and have four games in hand over second-placed CS Constantine. They are the top scorers in the league with 28 goals in 16 goals and have been tight in defence, conceding just eight times. Sundowns have played Belouizdad recently in the Champions League, in the 2020/21 group stages. Sundowns beat Belouizdad 5-1 in Dar es Salaam, an alternative venue for the Algerians, and then the North Africans won 2-0 at Loftus, when the DSTV Premierships champions had already confirmed their spot at group winners.
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