Cape Town – Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane has given his assessment of his side's CAF Champions League opponents after being drawn alongside Wydad Casablanca, Lobi Stars and Asec Mimosas in Group A.
Masandawana will once again lock horns with Wydad, having previously faced the Moroccan giants in two consecutive campaigns, while this will be the first time they come up against Nigerian outfit Lobi Stars and Ivory Coast's Asec Mimosas.
Mosimane is relishing the chance to test his side against Wydad for a third time, as Downs know what to expect from their opponents.
"We got Wydad again, for a third time in a row," he said. "It's good to play Wydad again because all our games with them are tight.
"There's no team that's scored two goals. In some instances, penalties separate the two teams. It's a good draw. We know where we stay when we play Wydad.
"The challenge of going to Wydad is the flying because there are no direct flights to Casablanca. It's either you go via Europe, Accra or Senegal."
Commenting on Asec, he added: "We haven't played Asec in the past. They're Soumahoro Bangaly and (Yannick) Zakri's former team.
"We got the two players from them which shows that they're a good team. They play on an artificial pitch. We can't complain about that because we have played on an artificial pitch before.
"They're a tricky team to play away. They're technical and physical. Even though they're difficult away, you've got to win at home. In my opinion, we can get four points out of Asec."
And, Mosimane has laid out the blueprint for his side to seal their progression to the knockout stages of Africa's premier club competition, saying their home form will be a crucial factor.
"The most important thing in the Champions League is winning at home," he explained. "You must also make sure that in the three games away, you at least get two draws. If you do that, you're guaranteed qualification in the knockout stage.
"The best thing you can do is win at home. We have to win at home. With how our games are structured, we're going to play Wydad in our last match of the group. You don't want to get to that match needing to get a result.
"You have to do what you need to do as early as possible. You've got to have a good start and hit the ground running with your home games."
