Quarterfinal equation clear as Rayners urges Sundowns to go over the line against FAR

The equation is clear-cut for Mamelodi Sundowns. 

The Brazilians, on eight points, must get a point from their final Champions League group B clash against AS Far of Morocco at Loftus on Sunday to qualify for the quarterfinals. 

Since they lifted the trophy in 2016 under charismatic former coach Pitso Mosimane, Downs have only failed to get out of the group stages once — in 2018 when they were stunned by Horoya of Guinea — and doing so again would be deemed a failure. 

Sundowns' players will have confidence they will be able to achieve their mission considering they travelled to Morocco in December and returned home with a 1-1 draw after a tough battle with FAR. 

Though a share of the spoils will be enough for them to progress, Sundowns striker Iqraam Rayners has urged his teammates to go all out for a win so they end the group phase at the top of the log. 

“They [FAR] will come with a lot of confidence. They are going to fight hard to make it difficult for us but we have to be patient because we are at home — that’s what will help us win this game,” said Rayners, who scored Sundowns’ only goal in the opening round match in Morocco. 

AS FAR (nine points) go into the match having already qualified for the knockout stages but Rayners expects them to battle hard to protect first place in group B. 

“They will not sit back because they want to finish on top of the group. For us to finish top of the group we need to push ourselves, win the game and score goals and that is the spirit going into the game.” 

Defeat would leave Sundowns open to being eliminated if Raja Casablanca get all three points, as the group's other Moroccan outfit should, at home against AS Maniema Union. 

A defeat against FAR would leave them stuck on eight points, which Raja would also go to with a win against Maniema. The spanner in the works, then, would be that Sundowns and Raja could not be separated on head-to-head because their group matches ended 1-1. 

This would mean goal difference as the next decider. At the moment Sundowns have the advantage with a +1 difference to Raja's -2. However, a defeat for the Brazilians against FAR and win by a decent margin for Raja would see the Moroccan outfit progress.

If the two were level on goal difference, the greatest number of goals scored in away matches between the two teams would come into play to determine who progresses.