Mamelodi Sundowns’ poor record against Champions League semi-final rivals Esperance

They are a side Sundowns know well, with the teams meeting in the Champions League for the third season in a row, while Brazilians coach Miguel Cardoso was in charge of Esperance when they knocked Sundowns out at the semi-final stage in 2023/24.

Sundowns exacted revenge last season by dumping the Tunisians out in the quarter-finals, after Cardoso had jumped ship to them, but success has been rare down the years.

Aside from their two recent knockout showdowns, the teams have met in the group stages three times since their first clash in 2000.

That makes for 10 individual matches, of which Sundowns have won only two. Esperance have four wins and there have been a further four draws, all of them 0-0 scorelines.

Sundowns have managed six goals in those 10 games and Esperance seven, but aside from their first two games, when seven goals were scored between the teams, finding the back of the net has been hard to do.

In the eight games since then, there have been only six goals.

Sundowns have never won at Esperance (D3 L2), while at home they have two wins, two defeats and a draw.