Mamelodi Sundowns vs Nouadhibou lineups, 3 predictions – CAF Champions League

Mamelodi Sundowns vs Nouadhibou lineups, 3 predictions – CAF Champions League
Credit: Icon Sport

All eyes will be on the Loftus Versfeld Stadium as Mamelodi Sundowns vs Nouadhibou go toe-to-toe with each other on Sunday. Can the visitors pull off a huge upset in their CAF Champions League opener, or will it be business as usual for Masandawana?

It's worth mentioning that this will be the Sundowns' first game since their African Football League (AFL) triumph earlier this month. That said, here's how we think both teams will line up for this clash:

Mamelodi Sundowns vs Nouadhibou probable lineups

Mamelodi Sundowns

Goalkeeper: Ronwen Williams.
Defenders: Mothobi Mvala, Teboho Mokoena, Mosa Lebusa.
Midfielders: Khuliso Mudau, Marcelo Allende, Aubrey Maphosa Modiba Abdelmounaim Boutouil.
Strikers: Peter Shalulile, Themba Zwane, Lucas Ribeiro.

Rhulani Mokwena alternated between the 4-3-3 and 3-4-3 formations in his side's last five games. He will likely use the latter, with Peter Shalulile, Themba Zwane and Lucas Ribeiro leading the charge. There are no new absentees for Masandawana ahead of this match.

Nouadhibou

Goalkeeper: Babacar Diop.
Defenders: Moustapha Diaw, Demini Saleck, Soukrana Mheimid, Mohamed El Abd.
Midfielders: Hassen Teguedi, Oumar M’Bareck, Bodda Mouhsine.
Strikers: Bassam Ahmed, Abderrahmane Chighaly, Abderrahim Makran.

On the other hand, Aritz Lopez Garai is expected to adopt a 4-3-3 formation for this game. The Spaniard will be pleased to have a healthy group of players to choose from, as Nouadhibou have no injured or suspended players heading into this game.

Mamelodi Sundowns vs Nouadhibou confirmed lineups

*Lineups will be automatically updated shortly after they're released

Mamelodi Sundowns vs Nouadhibou predictions

Prediction 1: Mamelodi Sundowns to win

A case can be made for Nouadhibou. They've won three matches in a row, and have no losses in their last seven games. However, unlike the teams Nouadhibou faced in that stretch, Mamelodi Sundowns will be a bigger fish to fry.

Masandawana have proven to be one of the best teams in African football these past few years. Not only did they win the African Football League title this year, Mokwena's side were also semifinalists in the previous edition of the CAF Champions League.

In contrast, the last time Nouadhibou made it through to the group stages of a CAF tournament was in 2019, where they finished last in their Confederations Cup group.

Taking everything into account, anything other than a victory for the Sundowns would be a surprise.

Prediction 2: One team will fail to score

For our next Mamelodi Sundowns vs Nouadhibou prediction, let's explore the BTTS market.

We've pointed out that Nouadhibou are currently on a three-match winning run. It may also interest you to know that they didn't concede any goals in that stretch.

The Mauritanian team's games have mostly been one-sided in goal-scoring terms, as both teams managed to score in just three of their last 12 matches across all competitions.

In the same vein, Mamelodi Sundowns kept five clean sheets in their last six matches, and for this reason, we are fairly confident that one of these teams will keep a clean sheet.

Prediction 3: Under 2.5 goals

Given that Masandawana conceded in just one of their last six matches, it's no surprise that their games have mostly been on the low-scoring side. As a matter of fact, Mokwena's side saw seven of their last nine matches go below the 2.5-goal mark.

Similarly, all of Nouadhibou's last five games featured less than three goals, and on that note, we shouldn't expect many goals in this encounter.

Where to watch Mamelodi Sundowns vs Nouadhibou live

There are no live streaming options for this game at the moment. However, we'll update this page when they are available.

This article was most recently revised and updated 1 year ago

Kelechi Udoka
Kelechi is a huge sports fan with over 10 years of betting experience. He has written thousands of match previews on football, tennis, basketball and American football in the past few years. Kelechi has worked with a few reputable brands like Afrik-Foot, Football Whispers, What Are The Odds and Pundit Feed.
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