Wydad Casablanca v Mamelodi Sundowns : Kick off, TV channel, live score, squad news & preview Masandawana will be eyeing top spot when they renew their rivalry with the Moroccan giants Mamelodi Sundowns may have successfully booked their place in the next round of the Caf Champions League but this does not mean that the match is a dead rubber. Sundowns vs. Wydad Casablanca is slowly becoming one of the continent’s fiercest rivalries with no love lost between the two sides, and with Wydad yet to secure a place in the next round as well as Sundowns fighting for top spot in Group A, an exciting and fiery encounter is expected. The last time these two sides locked horns, it was the Tshwane giants who walked away with the three points courtesy of a 2-1 win at home and an impressive showing by Themba Zwane. This only adds to the premise as the Moroccans will be keen to avenge the previous result. Game Wydad Casablanca v Mamelodi Sundowns Date Saturday, March 16 Time 18:00 SA Time TV Channel, Live Score & How To Watch The match will be live on SS10. You can also catch live updates on Goal.com . Live Match Centre TV Channel Goal.com SS10 Squads & Team News Meanwhile, Wydad are likely to keep the core of their team which did battle rather unsuccessfully in Abidjan which should see the influential Mohamed Nahiri retain his place, while the club’s top assists maker Ismail El-Haddad is expected to be a thorn upfront for the Sundowns defence to deal with. While Wydad have managed 10 goals since the first round of the tournament, a worry will be their tendency to leak goals. The Morroccans have conceded six goals in their five-group game. But their intimidating home record which has seen them on a 17-match unbeaten run is likely to keep them a confident bunch. On the side of Sundowns, head coach Pitso Mosimane may look to freshen up his side a little. After a hard-fought 2-1 win over Maritzburg United, Rivaldo Coetzee is reportedly a doubt for the clash, with the 22-year-old believed to be carrying a knock. However, the club’s top scorer in the tournament Themba Zwane is likely to remain, playing alongside Lebohang Maboe with Gaston Sirino providing support from midfield. Article continues below Match Preview This will be only the sixth meeting between the two sides, with Sundowns having never beaten Wydad on home soil. On head-to-head Sundowns have won twice while Wydad have also won twice. But Sundowns arguably head into the game as favourites. Wydad will need to be wary of a Sundowns side who have netted 20 goals since the preliminary rounds.<doc-sep>Mamelodi Sundowns’ pursuit of the African Champions League title has taken a more difficult turn after they lost 1-0 to Moroccan side Wydad Casablanca at a vibrant Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat on Saturday to finish second in their pool. Mohammed Nahiri scored the only goal of the game with a superb winner just past the hour-mark, providing a deserved victory for the 2017 champions as they created the greater number of chances and showed more ambition to win the game. Sundowns needed a draw to finish top of the pool and be among the top seeds for the quarterfinals, but instead face the prospect of meeting one of Al Ahly, TP Mazembe or defending champions Esperance in the next stage, with those matches to be played the weekend of April 5-6 and 12-13. Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane dropped Argentine forward Emiliano Tade to the bench, with the pacey duo of Lebohang Maboe and Phakamani Mahlambi leading the line. Denis Onyango made a vital early save, blocking the effort of Ismail El Haddad from point-blank range. But the Brazilians wasted a superb opportunity to hit the front when Maboe beat the offside trap and latched onto a lofted ball, before his poor touch actually set up Mahlambi with a clear shooting chance that the latter fired wide. Onyango’s blushes were spared when he spilled a cross into the path of Nahiri, but the Wydad winger reacted poorly to the loose ball with the goal gaping and could only steer it wide. Mahlambi then curled a shot off target at the far post having worked some space for himself, while Onyango made a good save to deny El Haddad in the closing minutes of the first half. Sundowns’ plan to hit Wydad on the counter-attack almost bore fruit early in the second period when Mahlambi raced clear down the right-hand side, but his ball into the box in search of Maboe was poor and home goalkeeper Ahmed Tagnaouti was able to collect. Wydad grabbed the lead on 62 minutes when Nahiri crashed the ball home from 30-yards, his powerful shot dipping in at the far post and giving Onyango no chance to make the save. Mosimane pushed left-back Tebogo Langerman into an attacking position with 20 minutes to go in a desperate pursuit of a goal, reviving a role the defender had with BidVest Wits in his debut Premier Soccer League season in 2008/09. It meant that Sundowns started to play route one football, launching balls forward towards Langerman and substitute Tade. Defender Ricardo Nascimento came close to the equaliser when his header from Tade’s free-kick was brilliantly saved by Tagnaouti, sealing a potentially catastrophic defeat for Sundowns’ campaign.<doc-sep>
It's been 32 games since Moroccan side Wydad Casablanca lost at home, and Mamelodi Sundowns will have to dig deep for a win. The North Africans host the Tshwane side at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium tomorrow (6pm SA time). Sundowns need just a draw to finish top of Group A and face the runners-up from one of the other groups. The group winners also play the second leg of the quarterfinals, which is the next round, at home. Wydad, however, have proved difficult to beat in their back yard. The last time they lost at home was 2-1 to rivals Raja Casablanca in February last year. Sundowns faced Wydad in Morocco in 2017 and lost 1-0 in the quarterfinals of this competition. The Brazilians started by winning 1-0 in the first leg in Pretoria and with the aggregate score at 1-1, the match was decided on penalties - with Wydad winning 3-2 to progress to the semifinals. Wydad went on to win the tournament by beating Al Ahly of Egypt 2-1 on aggregate in the final. But Sundowns are aware that winning in Morocco is not mission impossible. After all, they beat Wydad 2-1 in Pretoria in January. If Sundowns win again, they will become the first SA side to win 50 matches in the CAF Champions League as reported by TimesLive, which is extra motivation for Pitso Mosimane's men. Over the past 25 years since they started competing in Africa's premium club competition, Sundowns have played 94 matches (49 wins, 25 draws and 20 defeats). Downs also won the Champions League in 2016. Orlando Pirates, the 1995 champions, boast the second most wins with 36 in 79 games. Bucs have drawn 24 games and suffered 19 defeats.