Mamelodi Sundowns and Al Ahly played to a 0-0 draw in the first CAF Champions League semifinal leg at Loftus Versfeld, and so it all comes down to the second leg in Cairo as a winner-takes-all contest.
Sundowns dominated possession in the first leg with 74%, but did not have a single shot on target, while Ahly had three.
Miguel Cardoso's side were at least handed a boost by the return of Themba Zwane, who came off the bench after a lengthy layoff with an achilles injury.
The 35-year-old attacking midfielder/winger has been arguably the most central component of their success in recent years and was part of the team that won the 2016 CAF Champions League. Now past the peak of his powers, he remains an important player at the club and recently signed a contract to remain at Chloorkop next season.
They are not short of attacking options, but for Sundowns to repeat their 2022 win over Ahly in Cairo, they will have to rediscover their cutting edge.
Key details:
Date: Friday, April 25 at 6:00 PM CAT (4:00 PM GMT, 12:00 PM ET)
Venue: Cairo International Stadium, Cairo, Egypt
How to watch: The match is available on SuperSport.
Team news:
Despite Zwane's return in the first leg, Miguel Cardoso has said that he is not ready to play the full 90 minutes.
Ahly adapted to the injury absentees of Karim El Debes and Yahya Attiat Allah in the first leg by playing with three centre-backs.
Attiat Allah is expected to remain out for the second leg, while Marcel Koller opted not to bring Ali Maâloul into the fold in the first leg and is unlikely to change his mind in the second.
Expected lineups:
Mamelodi Sundowns
LB Aubrey Modiba | CB Grant Kekana | CB Mosa Lebusa | RB Khuliso Mudau
CM Marcelo Allende | CM Teboho Mokoena | CM Jayden Adams
LW Peter Shalulile | ST Iqraam Rayners | RW Lucas Ribeiro Costa
Al Ahly
RWB | Mohamed Hany CB Yasser Ibrahim | CB Ramy Rabia | CB Achraf Dari | LWB Mostafa Mahmoud Al Aash
CM Marwan Attia | CM Akram Tawfik
AM Taher Mohamed | AM Emam Ashour
ST Nejc Gradišar
Stats:
The two South African teams remaining in the CAF Champions League semi-finals, Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates, have yet to concede in six games between them in the knockout stages.
Sundowns are unbeaten in their last eight matches against Al Ahly (4 W, 4 D).
Sundowns have kept clean sheets in their last three matches against Al Ahly.
The last three matches between Sundowns and Al Ahly have only produced one goal in total.