Downs look to end Group B campaign on winning note

Mamelodi Sundowns will welcome CR Belouizdad in the CAF Champions League Group B match at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria on Friday.

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Kick-off is at 3pm CAT (SA, GMT+2).

The South African champions are looking to end a successful group stage campaign with a victory having drawn 0-0 with Sudanese giants Al Hilal Omdurman away on 2 April.

Masandawana have already qualified for the quarterfinals as Group B winners as they are seven points above second-placed Belouizdad heading into their final group match. 

Manqoba Mngqithi, the Sundowns head coach, will give the club's accomplished club captain Hlompho Kekana some game time against Belouizdad. 

"Unfortunately, the captain [Hlompho Kekana] did not get a chance to play [against Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila on 6 April] ,but he also did very well against Al-Hilal," Mngqithi added.

"But we have got another big one against Belouizdad [on Friday] and we are hoping that some of the players can get a breather so they can help us going forward in the Nedbank Cup.”

Meanwhile, Belouizdad are desperate for a win which will see them qualify for the quarterfinals having secured an impressive 2-0 win over DR Congolese giants TP Mazembe at home on 2 April.

As a result, the Algerian club is sitting in second spot on the group standings - two points above third-placed Al Hilal as the two teams look to qualify for the quarterfinals. 

Belouizdad have announced that their club captain Chemseddine Nessakh and defender Mokhtar Belkhiter will both miss their clash with Sundowns due to injures. 

"Chemseddine Nessakh, who has a muscle injury, will miss the trip to South Africa." 

"Despite his participation in the training session, Mokhtar Belkhiter will also be absent from the Sundowns match after failing to recover," a club statement read.

The previous meeting between Sundowns and Belouizdad was in February 2021.

Sundowns secured an emphatic 5-1 win over Belouizdad in a Group B match which was played at the Benjamin Mkapa National Stadium in Tanzania.