Ex-PSL coach Luc Eymael believes Mamelodi Sundowns have a chance of qualifying for the CAF Champions League semi-finals as long as they focus on what's happening on the pitch.
Sundowns are up against Esperance in the return leg of the Champions League quarterfinal at Stade Olympique Hammadi Agrebi on Tuesday.
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They are expected to be given a hostile welcome by the home fans following the chaos that erupted in the first leg at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria.
About 2 000 police officers are expected to be on duty as an out-of-the-ordinary precautionary measure.
The most important item Miguel Cardoso's men have travelled to Tunisia with in their luggage is a 1-0 scoreline, which they aim to protect with their life against a club that, just like them, is FIFA Club World Cup-bound.
"I coached two times in Tunisia, I have played four games against Esperance. For the rest, let's hope that the officiating will be okay because I know the influence they can have," warns Eymael, speaking to KickOff.com from the DRC, where he is coaching FC St. Eloi Lupopo.
"Certainly, there will be a lot of destabilisation before the game, which is a habit in Africa, unfortunately. Normally, the rule in Tunisia is 15 000 fans, but Eperance have asked for permission to get in 35 000 fans. There will be a lot of noise at the stadium of 60 000 capacity.
"And they throw inside fireworks and so on too. Sundowns will not get a very good welcome, and I hope no South African will travel to that stadium tonight after what happened in South Africa last week.
"Both teams are very good, but the coach at Esperance doesn't have much quality compared to the Sundowns coach.
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"Sundowns just need to focus on their job and not be destabilised by the atmosphere or by whatever may happen.
"It's never easy to win a game in Tunisia. All the best of luck to Sundowns."
Kick-off is at 21:00 (SA time).
