Crunch games in Dar es Salaam and Pretoria as Champions League group stage wraps up

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Crunch matches in Dar es Salaam and Pretoria will be the focus of attention as the group stage of the CAF Champions League draws to a close with eight matches across the continent this weekend.

Al Hilal (Sudan), ASFAR (Morocco), Orlando Pirates (South Africa), Al Ahly, Pyramids FC (both Egypt) and Esperance de Tunis (Tunisia) have already guaranteed progression into the final eight of Africa's premier club competition.

The first of the two remaining quarterfinal slots will be up for grabs at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam on Saturday afternoon, as Tanzania's Young Africans host Algerian visitors MC Alger in Group A.

Yanga need to win the match to overtake MCA and join Al Hilal (who will be away to TP Mazembe in Lubumbashi in a concurrent game) in progressing to the quarters. Anything less and it will be the Algerian club which advances.

"We have one more challenge to overcome," said Young Africans coach Sead Ramovic. "We must give everything on [Saturday] January 18 to achieve our goal."

The remaining games on Saturday are headlined by a meeting of Al Ahly and Orlando Pirates in Cairo – with the Buccaneers hoping to avoid defeat in order to win Group C – while the top position in Group D will be decided by home games for Esperance and Pyramids against Sagrada Esperanca in Tunis and Djoliba in Cairo respectively. The North African sides are tied on 10 points apiece, with Esperance ranked first on head-to-head results.

Sunday's action will decide the last quarterfinalist, with South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns needing to avoid defeat at home to already-qualified Group B leaders ASFAR in Pretoria to join their opponents in the next phase. A win, meanwhile, would see them claim top spot ahead of the Army side.

The only way the Brazilians will miss out on a seventh successive appearance in the quarterfinals is if they lose to ASFAR and Morocco's Raja Casablanca claim a win at home to DR Congo's AS Maniema Union in a concurrent clash.

Even then, the swing in goal difference (which would be the determining factor since Sundowns and Raja are level on head-to-heads) would need to be three in favour of the Moroccan side (currently Sundowns +1, Raja -2).

"We are aware of the conditions of the group, it's a group that will be decided on the last game," said Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso. "It's all in our hands, our hearts, minds and feet to make things in the right way."

CAF Champions League fixtures

Times CAT

Saturday 18 January

15:00: Young Africans v MC Alger
15:00: TP Mazembe v Al Hilal
18:00: CR Belouizdad v Stade d'Abidjan
18:00: Al Ahly v Orlando Pirates
21:00: Pyramids FC v Djoliba AC
21:00: Esperance de Tunis v Sagrada Esperanca

Sunday 19 January

18:00: Mamelodi Sundowns v ASFAR
18:00: Raja Casablanca v AS Maniema Union