Ex-PSL coach warns Mamelodi Sundowns 'it is really going to be difficult' playing Orlando Pirates tormentors Saint-Eloi Lupopo in CAF Champions League

Former Chippa United head coach Luc Eymael has warned Mamelodi Sundowns of difficulties they are set to face in the CAF Champions League against Saint-Eloi Lupopo.

Eymael has himself handled the DR Congo outfit before and thus is in a better position to outline what lies ahead for the Premier Soccer League giants.

The former head coach of Kenya's heavyweights AFC Leopards has pointed out exactly what makes Lupopo hard to beat, especially on their turf.

Downs were beaten in the final last season and are hoping that this time, they will be lucky but must navigate the challenging ties ahead of them.

"Lupopo is a team that plays very defensively. I watched again the derby against TP Mazembe; they play on counter-attacks, and they are very good on set-pieces," Eymael, who was recently sacked by struggling Chippa United, told Soccer Laduma.

"They are very difficult to beat at home. The atmosphere there is difficult. For all the teams that will play there in the DRC, it's going to be difficult, not only for Sundowns. That's their strength," he added.

"But okay, we know the experience of Sundowns, the mindset of the club. For me, Group B and Group C are groups of death; it really is going to be difficult."

To go beyond the group stage, Eymael has stated that the PSL heavyweights must ensure they win all their home matches first.

"Group C is a group of death, and you know if you want to qualify for knockout games in the CAF groups, first of all, you have to win your home games. If you win all three, that's nine points, and if you take one or two away, you've qualified," the former Young Africans head coach added.

Lupopo will be in South Africa once more this season after meeting Orlando Pirates in the second preliminary round. The DR Congo side won the first-leg encounter with a 3-0 scoreline but were almost eliminated when Bucs restored parity after a 3-0 win in the second leg at Orlando Stadium.

After the stalemate, the winner had to be decided from the penalty shootouts, which the Sea Robbers lost, and their continental campaign ended.

In the 2024/25 campaign, Bucs reached the semi-final, which means they have failed to hit one of their targets this season.

Although Lupopo progressed, there has been controversy surrounding their fixture against Pirates, which CAF is handling.

The Soweto giants protested the eligibility of Lupopo's coach, Guy Bukasa, who they claimed was serving a suspension when he was in charge of the U20 DR Congo team that competed in the U20 AFCON in Egypt. 

Title holders Pyramids FC are in Group A with RS Berkane of Morocco, Nigeria's Rivers United, and Power Dynamos of Zambia.

Perennial winners and Egyptian giants Al Ahly are in Group B with Tanzanian heavyweights Young Africans, AS FAR of Morocco, and Algeria's JS Kabylie.

Group D has Espérance of Tunisia, Tanzanian giants Simba SC, Petro de Luanda of Angola, and Stade Malien from Mali.

The highly anticipated group games will begin on the weekend of November 21-23, with two matches set to be played before the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals begin in Morocco in December.

During the AFCON finals, the Champions League campaign will take a break and resume on the weekend of 23–25 January 2026.

After the conclusion of the group games, the knockout matches will begin on March 13, 2026.