Espérance de Tunis have suffered a big blow ahead of their CAF Champions League clash against Mamelodi Sundowns with confirmation that two of their key players have been ruled out.
The Tunisian powerhouse have landed in South Africa on Sunday as they gear up for their highly-anticipated quarterfinal clash against the Brazilians, who are currently under the guidance of former Tunis coach Miguel Cardoso.
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Masandawana and the Blood and Gold Club last faced each other in April 2024 in Tshwane, where the Tunisian team triumphed. In fact, Esperance have never suffered a defeat against Downs in four games in history.
Nevertheless, approaching this match, the four-time Champions League winners will have to face the star-laden Sundowns without right-back Mohamed Ben Ali and midfielder Roger Aholou, both of whom have been sidelined due to injury, as reported by LaPresse.tn.
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According to Transfermarket, Ben Ali has been a significant player for Esperance this season thus far. He has delivered four assists from 18 matches in all competitions. Meanwhile, Aholou has appeared 19 times in the ongoing campaign.
However, the report has indicated that Elias Mokwana's coach Maher Kanzari will be welcoming back three players, namely, Rodrigo Rodrigues, Achraf Jebri, and Mohamed Amine Tougaï, who have recovered from their respective injuries.
The contest between Sundowns and Esperance is set for 15h00 at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria.