Rhulani Mokwena opens up about possibility of facing Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns in CAF Champions League with MC Alger - 'To compete against my former teams will be very interesting'

Since taking over as MC Alger head coach, Rhulani Mokwena cannot wait to face Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates in the CAF Champions League.

Mokwena will be competing in Africa's premier inter-club competition with the Algerian side, and there is a possibility of facing the Premier Soccer League sides there.

Mokwena praised both Pirates and Masandawana and said why it would be interesting to play against them if that chance comes Alger's way.

“The club (Alger) wants to do well in the CAF Champions League, and that is our highest priority. My ambition is to do well in this competition. There will be some fantastic clubs this year," Mokwena told Sunday World.

"Sundowns, after the FIFA Club World Cup, have really developed. It was a great tournament for them, and they did exceptionally well. They were organised, and a lot of credit must go to the technical staff," he added.

“We saw Pirates in the Champions League last season; they were excellent. They have bought players cleverly, and they have a very strong squad and a good coach in Abdeslam Ouaddou.

“Their coach has good knowledge of the continent, and people who worked with him in Morocco say wonderful things about his tactics. So, to compete against my former teams will be very interesting.”

After unsuccessful Champions League campaigns last season, Pirates and Sundowns will go into the new 2025/26 season with renewed ambition, hoping to lift the trophy in the end.

Both Bucs and Masandawana were defeated by eventual winners Pyramids FC of Egypt, with the former falling at the semi-final and the latter in the final.

The PSL sides, by all standards, are always among the pre-tournament favourites, and now Mokwena has a desire to face them at the continental stage.

After not taking part in the continental inter-club competition with Wydad AC, Mokwena has been given the stage to do so by the Algerian Ligue 1 and Super Cup champions.

How far he takes MC Alger will define Mokwena's career and prove critics wrong, especially after the struggle in Morocco.