An ex-Esperance de Tunis star has claimed that Mamelodi Sundowns will be relying on Miguel Cardoso's in-depth understanding of the Tunisian giants to get the better of their continental rivals.
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On Thursday afternoon, the draw for the CAF Champions League knockout phase was conducted, and for the quarter-finals, a number of interesting subplots emerged, with perhaps the most fascinating one being Esperance facing Sundowns in the competition for the second season running.
Last year, it was Taraji who were triumphant in their semi-final encounter, as a second-leg 1-0 victory at Loftus Versfeld saw Ka Bo Yellow crash out of the tournament at the final-four stage once again.
At the helm during the Blood and Gold's victory was current Downs boss Cardoso. He spent 10 months in charge of the record Ligue Professionnelle 1 champions before they decided to part ways in October 2024. Fast forward to December, and Masandawana appointed the Portuguese tactician after the dismissal of Manqoba Mngqithi.
Now, only a few months after leaving the Tunis-based side, Cardoso will face his former employers in Africa's premier club competition, and a former star of the Tunisian outfit, Karim Aouadhi, believes that the Betway Premiership champions will rely on the 54-year-old's knowledge of his former club to exact revenge for last year's result.
"The summit match in the quarter-finals will be equal for several reasons, including the great similarity in the technical level of the two teams," the ex-defensive midfielder started off by saying, as per Al Ain.
"Taraji has a moral advantage due to its history and its success on several occasions in outperforming its South African rival, while Sundowns, for its part, will enter the match with high spirits, seeking football revenge against the team that has become a complex for it in recent years."
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"Sundowns will rely mainly on their Portuguese coach, Miguel Cardoso, who has great knowledge of the Tunisian team, which he coached last season before being sacked at the beginning of the current season."
