After a disappointing end to their Betway Premiership season, Mamelodi Sundowns will host Morocco's AS FAR at Loftus Versfeld on Sunday in the first leg of the CAF Champions League final.
Sundowns lost to TS Galaxy 3-2 on Tuesday night to leave Orlando Pirates needing only three points from their last two games to draw level on points with the defending champions.
Pirates have a vastly superior goal difference, so this scenario would almost certainly see Abdeslam Ouaddou's men crowned champions and ending eight seasons of Sundowns dominance.
Miguel Cardoso's legacy as Mamelodi Sundowns head coach, which has seen him lift one Premiership title already, but lose last season's CAF Champions League final to Pyramids, may well be judged by his next two results.
Cardoso was hired after years of near misses from Sundowns in Africa, having masterminded back-to-back 1-0 wins over Rhulani Mokwena's side in the semi-finals of the 2023-24 CAF Champions League with Espérance de Tunis.
High up on the list of priorities for any Sundowns head coach -- if not at the very top -- is masterminding CAF Champions League success. So far, only Pitso Mosimane has taken them all the way, winning the title with a two-legged final victory over Zamalek in October 2016.
The 2016-17 season was, incidentally, the last time Sundowns failed to win the Premiership, with Bidvest Wits clinching the title. It is still theoretically possible that they could retain the league this season, but if Pirates maintain anything close to the form they have shown for most of this season, then that ship will likely soon sail.
If Cardoso can at least lead Sundowns back to the top of Africa, then he will have the perfect defence against anybody who questions why, for the first time since Mosimane's 2020 departure, the Brazilians opted midway through last season for a coach who was not part of the successful setup he established.
Key details
Date: May 17 at 16:00 CAT (14:00 GMT)
Venue: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
How to watch: The match is scheduled to air on SuperSport's DSTV channel 209 (SS Variety 4)
Team news
Mamelodi Sundowns have problems at centre-back. Mothobi Mvala has yet to return from a long-term injury, while Keanu Cupido picked one up against Kaizer Chiefs on May 6 and is doubtful.
Cardoso has suggested that he will also be without Grant Kekana in the first leg - presumably because the suspension that kept him out of the semi-final second leg against Espérance has been carried over.
Expected lineups
Mamelodi Sundowns
LB Aubrey Modiba | CB Kegan Johannes | CB Khulumani Ndamane | RB Khuliso Mudau
CM Jayden Adams | CM Marcelo Allende | CM Teboho Mokoena
LW Tashreeq Matthews | ST Brayan León | RW Nuno Santos
AS FAR
GK Ahmed Tagnaouti
LB Tó Carneiro | CB Fallou Mendy | CB Marouane Louadni | RB Anas Bach
LM Ahmed Hammoudan | CM Mohamed Hrimat | CM Nolan Mbemba | RM Reda Slim
LS Youssef El Fahli | RS Abdelfettah Hadraf
Stats
The first leg will be AS FAR's eighth game within the span of a month in all competitions and Mamelodi Sundowns' ninth.
The CAF Champions League still uses the away goals rule but the last time a final was decided via this mechanism was 2014, when ES Sétif beat AS Vita.
Mamelodi Sundowns have conceded 7 goals in their last 2 games - beating Siwelele 7-4 before their 3-2 TS Galaxy defeat.