Mamelodi Sundowns are set to defend their aggregate lead over Petro de Luanda in the African Football League later today, but the Angolan giants have some serious firepower that the DStv Premiership champions need to be wary of!
The South African side head into the match on Tuesday evening carrying a 2-0 advantage over the away team after emerging victorious in the first leg of their AFL quarter-final at the Estadio 11 de Novembro on Saturday.
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While goals by Marcelo Allende and Thapelo Maseko ensured the lead for Downs, Petro have it all to play for at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium and their attacking powers will certainly be called to action.
Having utilised a 3-5-2 formation in the first leg, the Angolan outfit are expected to play the same formation in the return fixture, and it includes two strikers for the Masandawana defence to deal with.
Petro have been dangerous in attack this season so far, with last weekend's defeat to Sundowns being their first loss in four games after winning the preceding three matches. It was also the first time they failed to score in a match this season, with the side have registered six strikes so far.
Goals have been spread across the team, too, as they have had several different scorers, including Kinito, Alexandre Guedes, Tiago Azulao, and Eddie Afonso.
New signing Guedes joined the club in July on a free transfer following a short stint at Pacos Ferreira in Portugal. The Sporting CP academy star boasts decent experience in the Portuguese top flight, where he contributed with 11 goals and eight assists in 81 appearances in the league. According to Transfermarkt, the 29-year-old centre-forward needed just 40 minutes to score his debut goal for the side. Although he had never played in Africa before joining Petro, he possesses vast experience in various divisions across the world, including in Japan, Poland, and Spain.
Tiago Azulao is arguably their best player, though, with the South American having already amassed 150 goals for the Luanda team. The Brazilian marksman has previously scored against Sundowns in South Africa, and scored two times in his previous three outings against Rulani Mokwena's charges.
Given the 2-0 deficit, Petro goalkeeper Hugo Marques will be vital in ensuring that they don't concede, and his track record in South Africa might inspire confidence. In the 2020/21 DStv Premiership campaign, the Portugal-born shot-stopper was named Goalkeeper of the Season at the PSL awards, as well as Player of the Year at his then-club Cape Town City. Marques knows how to run a tight ship, as previously proved by his 14 clean sheets in 27 appearances for the Citizens.
Lastly, creative midfielder Jonathan Rubio or "Toro" could also pose a serious threat in the central attacking positions, with the Honduras international having started in every game since joining Petro in July this year from Academico Viseu in Portugal's second tier. The 27-year-old spent many years in Spain youth football, and would later have stints at various Spanish and Portuguese clubs. Capped 15 times by Honduras, Toro will look to exert his influence in the second leg and improve on his first-leg display against Downs.
"In Angola they showed that they can put pressure on us. The message I always give to my players is that we always play to win and it is with that spirit that we will take the field. It will be difficult for us to beat Mamelodi and change the result, but in football anything is possible," Petro head coach Alexandre Santos said ahead of the clash, via the club's official website.
Goalkeeper Marques added: "We know that Sundowns are a great team, but we also know our strength and our power. Unfortunately for us, we don't have as many games as Mamelodi, but our mind is completely focused on the game.
"As the coach said, we want to reach the first goal and try to reach the second. In football, we never know what could happen and we will try all our chances."
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