USM Alger will look to claim the scalp of Mamelodi Sundowns as are buoyant ahead of their home clash when the teams meet in a CAF Champions League Group C clash at Stade Mustapha Tchaker in Blida on Saturday, 28 December 2019, kick-off at 18h00 CAT.

USMA come into the clash have played to back-to-back draws in the group thus far, 1-1 at home to Wydad Casablanca and 1-1 away to Petro de Luanda. The results leave them tied for second in the standings, level with Wydad on two points.

The form of the Red and Blacks has been underwhelming in general of late, with the Algerian club picking up just one win from their last six matches across all competitions. They were last in action on December 21, losing 1-0 away to USM Bel Abbes in a domestic league clash.

Sundowns, meanwhile, come into the game with the confidence of being group leaders. They top the standings with four points, as they followed up a comfortable 3-0 home win over Petro with a 0-0 draw away to old rivals Wydad in Morocco – the first time they have come away from Casablanca with a positive result.

The Brazilians are unbeaten in eight matches across all competitions and head into this continental clash with the bounce of both a 1-0 win over Polokwane City in their last outing on December 21, as well as claiming South Africa’s League Cup the weekend prior.

In head-to-head terms, this will be the first clash between USMA and Sundowns, who will meet again in Tshwane two weeks later. The other Group C match will be played later on Saturday evening when Wydad host Petro at Stade Mohamed V in Casablanca. The referee for the clash in Blida is Beida Dahane of Mauritania.

Soka25east.com