Mamelodi Sundowns are set to face Espérance Sportive de Tunis [ES Tunis] in their crucial CAF Champions League semi-final first-leg tie without the services of their star player, Aubrey Modiba.
Bafana Ba Style will lock horns with the Tunisian powerhouse at the Stade Olympique Hammadi Agrebi Stadium on Sunday night, with the kick-off scheduled for 21:00 [South African time].
Masandawana progressed to the Champions semi-finals with a 3-2 aggregate victory against Mali side Stade Malien last month.
Miguel Cardoso’s charges secured a 3-0 win over Stade Malien in the first leg at Loftus Versfeld Stadium. Despite falling to a 2-0 defeat in the return leg in Mali, Masandawana’s three-goal cushion at home was enough to secure a spot in the semi-finals.
WHY AUBREY MODIBA RULED OUT OF ES TUNIS ENCOUNTER
The ‘Postman’, as he’s affectionately known, is ruled out of the trip to Tunisia due to a one-match suspension.
This comes as a result of the red card he received during Masandawana’s quarter-final second-leg clash against Stade Malien on Sunday, 22 March 2026. Despite Modiba’s red card, the Brazilians managed to secure their spot in the final four [with a 3-2 aggregate win].
Under CAF disciplinary regulations, a red card carries an automatic one-match ban, leaving the Sundowns technical team with a selection headache on the left flank for the match against the North African side.
WHO CAN FILL AUBREY MODIBA’S VOID?
With Modiba sidelined, coach Cardoso may look toward the likes of Divine Lunga, Fawaaz Basadien, or the youngster Thato Sibiya to fill the void.
The Bafana Bafana international, Modiba, is expected to return to the squad when Sundowns host the four-time champions at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Saturday, 18 April 2026.
Sundowns are aiming to reach their first final since 2016, as they chase the second star to add to their 2016 continental triumph.
The winner of this two-legged tie will face either AS FAR or RS Berkane in the final.
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