Pitso Mosimane, Mamelodi SundownsBackpagepix

No win in Casablanca! What should Mamelodi Sundowns do differently against Wydad?

Mamelodi Sundowns have a score to settle against Wydad Casablanca in Saturday's Caf Champions League match in Morocco. 

The Brazilians are winless against Wydad in Casablanca in eight Champions League games, but Pitso Mosimane and the rest of his team know what to expect from their opponents.

The two sides have already met four times in 2019 with Sundowns winning just once - and that victory came in Tshwane at the start of the year. 

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But what should the Tshwane giants do differently this time around? 

Mauricio Affonso of Mamelodi Sundowns, October 2019

In their opening match of Group C, Sundowns scored three goals and didn't concede which was a great start to their campaign. 

Matches between Wydad and Sundowns have been tightly contested because neither side has scored more than two goals in any of the eight previous matches. 

This means Sundowns will have to come up with a game plan that would destabilise Wydad - and this could mean being clinical in front of goal, especially as early as possible. 

Several coaches go into many of their away games looking to keep the scoreline at 0-0 for longer periods in order to frustrate the home teams, but that hasn't worked with this fixture as Wydad are an experienced side that knows how to win continental matches. 

Sundowns don't need to show too much respect to Wydad because by so doing, they could find themselves under pressure to come out of Casablanca alive. 

Mosimane has already mastered the art of getting out of the Champions League group stages, and in this group, while it looks tough, Sundowns stand a good chance of making it through. 

Apart from scoring early, maintaining their level of concentration for the entire 90 minutes in defence will be key. 

Sundowns, Wayne ArendseBackpagepix

The fact that Sundowns have lost to Wydad each time they played them in Morocco simply means their defence wasn't too solid and have not been scoring enough goals. 

This time around, Mosimane should be careful with his wing-backs because that's how they have often conceded against Wydad in the past.

The moment both full-backs push forward in an attempt to create goalscoring chances for attacking players, they leave spaces behind them and that's how Wydad have managed to capitalise and score. 

What Mosimane needs to do is attack using one side from the back as this would ensure enough cover when Wydad breaks on a counter and look for crosses into the box. 

Also, Sundowns don't have the tallest defenders compared to Wydad's strikers - and it would be of paramount importance to avoid giving away set-pieces in dangerous areas.

Sundowns should also try to keep Wydad at bay as much as possible, limit their chances of scoring by not giving away too many corners throughout the game. 

A solid defence starts with a midfield that's able to track back and assist in defence, and in Hlompho Kekana, Andile Jali and Rivaldo Coetzee, Sundowns have enough depth and quality to protect their back four. 

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