Mamelodi Sundowns do battle away from home in Sudan as they take on Al Hilal Omdurman in Matchday 5 of the CAF Champions League group stage. The action will be broadcast live on SuperSport 209 and the match will kick off at 15H00. Bafana Ba Style met with the Sudanese outfit on the opening day at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium where a goal from Themba Zwane handed Sundowns a 1-0 win.
Masandawana will be looking to earn their second star after winning the trophy back in 2016. Last season Bafana Ba Style lost to eventual winners Al Ahly in the quarter-finals. The Tshwane giants are placed in a fierce group which includes Egyptian giants Al Ahly SC, Al Hilal and Al Merrikh of Sudan in a relentless Group B. Sundowns earned their place in this year’s CAF Champions League group stages after a successful run in the preliminary stages of the competition and their first opponents in their opening campaign are no strangers, the two teams clashed in group A last season and Masandawana were declared victorious in the first round at home, followed by a draw in Omdurman, Sudan.
Who are “The Blue Wave” ?
known as Al Hilal Omdurman or simply Al Hilal, is a Sudanese football club based in Omdurman that competes in the Sudan Premier League. The home ground for Seed al-balad, which translates to “The leader of the country”, is situated at the Khartoum State in Omdurman with a capacity of 25 000.
Team manager:
João Mota
56-year-old Portuguese João Mota is the head coach of Al-Hilal Omdurman, champion of the Sudan, succeeding Ricardo Formosinho, who subsequently after winning the title in October last year, he decided not continue to lead the Sudanese club. Mota was already an assistant coach on the technical team that won the last national title.
Players to lookout for:
The Sudane team consists of players that mostly play for the national team of Sudan, from the goalkeeping department with Mohamed Alnour Adam Saeed, who formed part of the AFCON Squad. Mohamed Abdelrahman Yousif Yagoub also plays for the national team, as well as Nazar Hamed who is a Sudanese football defender for Al-Hilal and the Sudan national football team.
Form Guide
The Sudanese side come into the encounter needing three points to give them a chance at qualification for the knockout phase. Their last 5 games have seen them pick up 3 wins and 1 draw whilst suffering 1 defeat to fellow Group A counterparts Al-Merrikh. Their most recent fixture was a Champions League game against their neighbours from Omdurman in game which saw the hosts walk away with three points thanks to a late winner from Yasir Mozamil Mohamed El Tayeb.
