The time could finally be ripe for Mamelodi Sundowns to win the CAF Champions League, given the current conditions of teams in the knockout stages.
Sundowns booked their spot in the knockout stages of the CAF Champions League with a game to spare in their group after beating Nouadhibou 2-0 over the weekend.
The Brazilians have been joined by five other confirmed teams in the quarter-finals, defending champions Al Ahly, ASEC Mimosas, TP Mazembe, Petro de Luanda and Young Africans.
Two teams are yet to be confirmed, as second spots are still up for grabs in Group B and C in the final round of matches at the beginning of March.
In Group B, Wydad Casablanca will fight it out with Simba while in Group C either Esperance de Tunis or Al Hilal will qualify.
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The Brazilians' regular rivals Wydad are not having the best of seasons, even domestically, as they trail leaders Nasreddine Nabi's AS FAR by 15 points in fourth spot in Botola Pro, with only one game in hand.
The Red Devils have also not been convincing, after three consecutive draws in the CAF Champions League before scraping a 1-0 win over Medeama to qualify and have a hectic schedule, lying tenth in the Egyptian Premier League table, with eight games in hand.
Experienced agent Mike Makaab believes given these kind of circumstances, this should finally be Sundowns' season to clinch the CAF Champions League, especially with the signings they've made.
"This Mamelodi Sundowns squad is in my opinion stronger than they were last year, they've made some significant signings, I believe that this is their year," Makaab said on Gagasi FM Sport.
"I've looked at the opposition, when you look at the giants of African football, Al Ahly, are they the same Al Ahly Pitso Mosimane had two or three years ago? I'm not sure they are.
"Are there any emerging football clubs that can trouble Sundowns, of course there are, particularly from the North African leagues but I do think that Sundowns is a class act and I do think they are probably favourites to win the Champions League," he added.
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The winners of the CAF Champions will bag $4 million (+-R75 million) and qualify for the 2025 expanded FIFA Club World Cup.
Al Ahly and Wydad have already qualified for the 32-team Club World Cup after winning the previous two editions respectively.
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