Mamelodi Sundowns defender Khuliso Mudau vies for the ball with Esperance defender Amine Ben Hamida as the two teams are drawn to meet again in the Caf Champions League. AFP
A continental campaign that has excited the country can either continue to delight or turn out to be a mighty belly flop.
Such is the hand that was dealt to our clubs in the quarter-final of the Caf interclub competitions on Thursday.
In what is going to be south versus north clashes, South African clubs face tricky encounters where anything is possible.
In the continent’s premier club knockout competition – the Caf Champions League – Mamelodi Sundowns were drawn against Esperance of Tunisia and Orlando Pirates will square up with Algeria’s MC Alger.
Caf debutants Stellenbosch FC take on title holders Zamalek of Egypt in the Caf Confederation Cup.
On the face of it, both Sundowns and Stellies have tough draws while Pirates should go into their match as favourites.
Football is fickle at the top though, and predicting the outcome of such clashes is tantamount to attempting to tell black from navy blue in the dark – near impossible.
Except for Steve Barker – although even he will admit realistically that they are underdogs - and all associated with the Cape Winelands team plus the adventurous punter, you are unlikely to find anyone picking Stellies for a win.
How could anyone when the team standing in Stellies’ way to the semi final are not only the defending champions but are also the second most successful club in continental interclub football?
Zamalek have won the Champions League five times, the Confederation Cup twice, its predecessor the Cup Winners Cup one and they have five CAF Super Cup titles.
They are a force of continental football and just by their experience alone they will start the match against rookies Stellies as favourites.
Then again, Barker and his men have literally started everyone of their match bar the preliminary round one as underdogs and they are still standing, right?
In the Champions League, the superstitious among us are bound to be feeling this one’s written in the stars for the Buccaneers.
It has been three decades since Pirates were crowned African champions thanks to that striker by Jerry Sikhosana against Asec Mimosas which sent all of the Ivory Coast into mourning.
The stars appear aligned for the club to add a second star above their club’s crossbones and skull crest, their passage to this stage having come with such a compelling performance; they topped a group including record champions and holders Al Ahly whom they beat in their own backyard.
Of course, there’s no easy match at this level but MC Alger are the one team coach Jose Riveiro and his team would probably have picked had they been given a choice of quarter-final opponents.
Sure they are top of the table in the Algerian Ligue 1 currently but their continental pedigree is not something to shout about.
Like Pirates, they’ve only been African champions once and this was way back in 1976.
In recent years, the best they’ve done was reaching the quarter-finals in 2021.
As it is, they’ve never progressed past this stage since their victory in 1976. Advantage Pirates then, right?
South Africa's most consistent performers on the continent have been Sundowns who are generally always expected to reach the semifinal.
They did so last year and the discerning South African football fan will remember how Miguel Carodso masterminded a 2-0 aggregate victory for the Blood and Gold over Rulani Mokwena’s naïve Brazilians who stuck to playing their ‘good to the eye’ passing game when eking out a win at all costs would have sufficed.
The bald-headed Portuguese is in charge of Sundowns now and will be keen to win this tie yet again, putting one over his former club to go into the penultimate stage of the competition yet again.
His is arguably a much more difficult task than Riveiro’s but on their day, Sundowns have what it takes to beat just about any team on the continent.
On paper, Pirates look the likeliest to reach the semis while Sundowns’ chances are 50/50 and Stellies progressing would be somewhat of a miracle.
But stranger things have happened in this beautiful game. Will it be a ‘perfect dive or a belly flop’ for South African teams? We will know in April.