It’s all a question of doing the maths for Downs

MAMELODI Sundowns must just get their mathematics right and they will have one foot in the semifinals of the Confederation of African Football Champions League.

The reigning Absa Premiership champions play Egyptian giants Zamalek tonight in the three-team Group B as crowd trouble resulted in Algerian club ES Setif’s expulsion from the tournament.

Having beaten basement dwellers Enyimba 2-1 at home last month, victory over the White Knights at the 16 000-seater Petro Sport Stadium in the capital Cairo will move the South Africans to six points. That puts them in the pound seat for the return leg against the Egyptians on July 27.

Downs’ Mr Reliable at centreback, Wayne Arendse, says the men from Mamelodi, who top the group on three points, must focus on their mathematics.

Sundowns and Zamalek each have three points from their wins against Enyimba. The Nigerian club has to watch the other teams in the group effectively decide their fate.

“The three points would be great. Should we win, our chances of getting into the semifinals will be maximised if not as good as done because we still have a home game against Zamalek and a trip to Enyimba. The semifinals beckon if we win, which makes collecting three points of utmost importance,” Arendse said.

“At the end of the day, the threeteam group dynamic is simple. All you have to do is to make sure you get your mathematics right. What this format does is to highlight the importance of winning your home games. While the business needs to be done at home, it’s also important to collect points on the road.”

South African clubs have gone a long way to levelling the continental playing fields, especially in North Africa where they have generally struggled.

But Zamalek’s dominance over South African teams cannot go unnoticed. They have won nine out of 11 clashes, including a double against Orlando Pirates in the 2015 Caf Confederation Cup group stage.

They are also fresh from a 2-1 home win against El-Shorta in an Egyptian Cup last-16 tie on Tuesday evening.

Tonight’s 7.30pm (SA time) start may also save Sundowns from the worst of Cairo’s summer heat.

According to accuweather.com, the mercury in Egypt’s capital has been hovering in the high 30s while dropping to the mid-20s in the evening.

Sundowns’ other Wayne, goalkeeper Sandilands, knows the odds are stacked against them but their experience in Setif is invaluable.

The 2-0 win on June 18 may have been erased from the record books but it gave them the importance of knowing how to win in north Africa.

“I wasn’t aware of their dominance against South African clubs but now that I know about that I’m focussing on the ones they didn’t get.

“They may have been good against the other teams but the fact that they have dropped two games means we have an opportunity. We know that we’re not going to over-respect them because we know they’re a good team. They have got the street cred on the continent but we want to create our own history.

“After all, we’ve got our own ambitions and goals,” Sandilands said.

“There were so many factors that happened in that ES Setif game and fortunately we came through unscathed. We know we have stuff to improve on and we know we can get better. What that win did was to instil belief of knowing we can travel and win anywhere if we play well.

“We know we can do it, so it’s just a case of imposing ourselves on Zamalek. We are Sundowns.” MR RELIABLE: Mamelodi Sundowns centreback Wayne Arendse