Mamelodi Sundowns defender Aubrey Modiba waxed lyrical about the atmosphere in North Africa in big CAF Champions League games with a trip to Tunisia looming for the second leg of their quarterfinals tie against Esperance de Tunis.

The South African champions will first host the Tunisian giants in the capital on Tuesday afternoon (15:00) with the aim of getting a favorable result in the first leg before the return leg in Tunis in what promises to be a hostile reception a week later.

Masandawana have a bad record against the Taraji, losing three times in the two sides’ four meetings in the champions league. Additionally, Esperance knocked Sundowns out of the competition in the semi-finals last season without scoring a goal, with Miguel Cardoso in charge of the Tunisian juggernauts.

Now, ahead of the first leg, the 29-year-old left-back glowingly outlined the factors that separate the North African atmosphere from the rest of the continent but insists the Tshwane-based outfit won’t be fazed and will go all out to come out on top across the two legs.

“I think at Sundowns it’s not about North African teams or west. We want to do well in every game that we play, obviously the atmosphere is different in the North [because of] the way they rally behind their teams and the way they go to the stadiums,” said Modiba.

“Those are the games you look forward to as a player, and the way they have passion for football, you can feel that there’s a big game coming even when you’re in that country. So, that motivates you throughout the week when preparing for the game.” 

While he acknowledges the slight advantage the North Africans possess due to the massive backing from their faithful supporters, particularly at home, the Bafana international is adamant that Sundowns will give any team a run for their money in the return leg. 

“But like I said, we take every game seriously and we want to win every game whether we are playing in Congo, Zimbabwe, or Malawi or anywhere in the continent. We try to do well, and three points is three points, and it’s the same thing in knockout games whether the team is from north or west,” he added.

“But the atmosphere is different in the north, and I think those teams test themselves in the Champions League competition – I think they want to win it, so we also try by all means here in South Africa to compete with them and make sure we win at the end of the day. But like I said, the atmosphere and the passion they have for football is something else.” 

It remains to be seen whether Sundowns can finally break the duck and claim a win over Esperance or if history will repeat itself with the Blood and Gold walking away unscathed from yet another meeting with the Brazilians.