Mokwena was assistant coach to Pitso Mosimane when Sundowns won their only Champions League title up to now in 2016.
Mamelodi Sundowns and Rulani Mokwena are set for an emotional reunion after Masandawana were drawn to face Algerian giants MC Alger in Group C of this season’s Caf Champions League.
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Mokwena left Sundowns to join Wydad Casablanca at the start of last season, moving on to take over at MC Alger ahead of the new campaign.
Rulani’s fast start
The former Sundowns head coach has got off to a fast start with MC Alger, who are flying in the Algerian top flight and have reached the Champions League group stages.
There promises to be plenty of chatter flying back and forth ahead of the games between MC Alger and the Brazilians.
Mokwena was assistant coach to Pitso Mosimane when Sundowns won their only Champions League title up to now in 2016.
He won four Betway Premiership titles, the CAF African Football League, one MTN8 and one Nedbank Cup either as solo head coach or joint head coach of Masandawana.
Mokwena’s spell at Wydad was not smooth sailing. He took over a side in need of a turnaround after failing to make it into continental competition for the 2024/25 season. But he left before the season ended amid rumours of unpaid salaries, and missed out on coaching Wydad at the Fifa Club World Cup in the USA.
MC Alger have won five and drawn one of their first six league games of the season, and are a point behind the two sides above them – MC Oran and Olympiqie Akbou – but have four games in hand.
They did make hard work of qualifying for the group stages, winning on the away goals rule after a 1-1 away draw with Cameroon’s Colombe Sportive was followed by a goalless draw at home in the second leg.
Al Hilal of Sudan are also in Group C, along with DR Congo’s FC St Eloi Lupopo. Lupopo stunned Orlando Pirates on penalties in Orlando to reach the group stages.
Sundowns hold the edge
Sundowns and Al Hilal are familiar foes, meeting three years in a row in the group stages of the Champions League between 2021 and 2023.
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The Tshwane giants did not lose to their Sudanese opponents in that time, winning four and drawing two of their six meetings.
Al Hilal did prevail over Sundowns in the final qualifying round for the group stages of the 2008 Caf Confederation Cup, winning 4-3 on aggregate.
