Mamelodi Sundowns face another round of close watching as they prepare for the CAF Super Cup against Algerian side USM Alger. The match takes place on Saturday, 8 November, at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria. The winners will take home USD 500 000, while the runners-up get USD 250 000.

USM Alger have copied the same careful approach that Angolan club Wiliete Sport Clube used before. Algerian sources say the North Africans have studied all of Sundowns’ recent games this season. They will also send people to watch the Brazilians play Durban City this weekend. Their main focus is on goalkeeper Ronwen Williams and midfielder Teboho Mokoena. Both players have had injury worries, and USM expect them to start in the Super Cup.

There is a big difference in how many matches the two teams have played. After the Durban City game, Miguel Cardoso’s side will have played 18 matches this season. USM Alger will have only played seven games by the time they arrive in South Africa. All of those were in their local league. This gives the Algerians a clear chance to study Sundowns in detail while keeping their own matches harder to analyse.

USM Alger reached the group stage of the Confederation Cup without playing any qualifying games. They received a bye in the first round and later got a walkover against The Panthers of Equatorial Guinea. They now travel to South Africa as the Confederation Cup winners looking for a strong result against the Champions League champions.

The match officials have already been named. Dahane Beida from Mauritania will referee the game. He will be assisted by Djubril Camara of Senegal and Elvis Guy Noupoue of Cameroon.

Sundowns know that opponents often study them closely in big CAF games. The Brazilians have faced this kind of preparation before, and the technical team will need to stay alert. With prize money and continental pride on the line, both clubs will treat the one-off fixture as a major final. Fans can expect a tight contest at Loftus as USM try to use their homework to their advantage against a Sundowns side that has played a much busier season.

Source: https://x.com/KickOffMagazine/status/2115745587941257691