Progress for SuperSport could give them hopes of winning CAF title
SuperSport United must win their last African Confederation Cup group match in Atteridgeville on Saturday and hope that the other match in the group in Lubumbashi at the same time does not end in a draw if they are to advance to the quarter-finals.
SuperSport should beat CF Mounana of Gabon‚ who have lost all their games and been turned into the group’s whipping boys.
Victory will take SuperSport to 10 points from their six Group C matches.
Horoya of Guinea and TP Mazembe share top place with nine points already and clash in the other group game in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The winner of that match will top the group with SuperSport runners-up‚ if they are also victorious.
But if Mazembe and Horoya draw then things become complicated as all three clubs will end on 10 points.
Then it comes down to the head-to-head records between the three‚ creating a mini log of their results and eliminating from the equation the results against top bottom place Mounana.
That is why‚ on Saturday‚ SuperSport need not worry about goals against the Gabon side‚ a 1-0 triumph will be as effective as a six-goal thrashing of their hapless guests.
Ultimately it could come down to the number of goals scored away by each of the three and so if Horoya and Mazembe play out a goalless draw or a 1-1 score line then SuperSport are sure to advance but if they conspire to produce a high scoring draw‚ then the Pretoria-based outfit could be out.
It is not likely‚ however‚ there will be any skullduggery in Lubumbashi.
Both Mazembe and Horoya will be keen to win because victory ensures top place in the group and therefore home advantage in the second leg of the quarter-final ties in September.
SuperSport cannot top the group so as potential runners-up then will take on the top team in Group C – either Al Hilal Obayed of Sudan or Zesco United of Zambia‚ neither have much of a continental profile.
Effectively‚ progress for SuperSport on Saturday could well give them legitimate hopes of taking the title come the decider later in the year.
- TimesLIVE