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Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena dozed off during a replay of the goalless CAF Champions League semifinal first leg between Al Ahly and TP Mazembe on Saturday. He remarked that the match, which took place in Lubumbashi in the Democratic Republic of Congo, was so dull that he needed an energy drink to stay awake until the end.
Mokwena hopes that the Ahly players will have their energy drinks ready to help them secure a victory against Mazembe in the second leg on Friday in Cairo, Egypt.
The game is scheduled for 9pm South African time, while the Sundowns' semifinal against Esperance at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria will begin at 8pm.
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The stakes are high and both Mokwena and Esperance’s Portuguese coach Miguel Cardoso will be silently rooting for Ahly to beat Mazembe and go through to the final.
They two coaches know that, regardless of the outcome of their clash at Loftus, the places of Esperance and Sundowns at next year's Fifa Club World Cup will be guaranteed if Mazembe are eliminated.
But Mokwena does not really need favours from anyone, as Downs have other gates they can use to enter the global tournament.
Sundowns will be guaranteed a place in the tournament if they win the second leg of their Champions League semifinal against Esperance, who beat them 1-0 in Rades, Tunisia, on Saturday.
However, Downs will still be assured of a spot even if they beat Esperance but fail to go through to the final.
This is according to the criteria used by CAF to select the four teams that will represent Africa at the expanded 32-team Club World Cup, where Champions League winners between 2021 and this year will qualify for the Club World Cup.
In the event of a club winning two or more Champions League titles, a Fifa Club World Cup ranking will be used.
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Also, a cap of two clubs per country will be applied with an exception if more than two clubs from the same country win the confederation’s premier club competition over the four-year period from 2021 to this year.
The same criteria are in place for Fifa’s other five confederations – Uefa, Oceania Football Confederation; Asian Football Confederation; Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football; and South American Football Confederation.
By winning the continental title in 2021 and last year, Egyptian giants Al Ahly and 2022 champions Wydad Athletic Club of Morocco have already secured automatic qualification.
The two remaining CAF spots will go to the winners of the ongoing Champions League campaign and the highest-ranked side based on Fifa’s Club World Cup rankings.
From the group phase, teams get three points for a win, one point for a draw and three points for progressing to each stage of the Champions League in the past four years.
Esperance narrowed the gap between themselves and Sundowns to five points after the four-time winners beat the South African champions 1-0 in the first leg. Despite the defeat, Downs retained their third ranking.
Should the Tunisians win Friday’s second leg too, they will swap places with Downs.
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The other gate which Downs can use to enter the Club World Cup is through winning this year’s Champions League title.
Sundowns’ only appearance at the global club tournament was in Japan eight years ago after then coach Pitso Mosimane guided them to the 2016 Champions League title. They finished sixth in the seven-club tournament after two defeats.
Mokwena, who was Mosimane’s assistant in the 2016 Champions League triumph and the Club World Cup appearance, has successfully taken the baton.
After Esperance won 1-0, if Downs cannot win outright, they must at least win by the same scoreline to force the tie into extra time.
With the aggregate score at 1-1, anything can happen in extra time and Downs will have their reliable goalkeeper Ronwen Williams to count on if it goes to a penalty shootout.
A 2-0 win would be great as Downs will march into the final for the first time since 2016 with a 2-1 aggregate win.
