Esperance de Tunis head coach Patrice Beaumelle believes his side can lean on their recent triumph over Al Ahly as they attempt to overturn a deficit against Mamelodi Sundowns in the CAF Champions League semi-final.
The Tunisian giants face Sundowns in the decisive second leg at Loftus Versfeld Stadium today, with kick off at 15:00 GMT, with the South African champions carrying a narrow advantage from the first leg in North Africa.
That result puts Miguel Cardoso’s side in control of the tie, but Esperance are no strangers to high-pressure away performances in this season’s competition.
In the quarter-finals, Beaumelle’s men travelled to Cairo trailing Al Ahly 1-0 from the first leg.
Against the odds, they produced a statement performance, winning 3-2 on the night to complete a 4-2 aggregate victory and eliminate the record 12-time champions.
Now, with the situation reversed, Beaumelle sees clear parallels and insists history can repeat itself.
“It’s always statistics, and statistics are made to be changed,” Beaumelle said to the media during a pre-match press conference in Tshwane on Friday afternoon.
“But I remember one month ago, we went to Cairo. Esperance had never beaten Al Ahly there in history, but we did it and scored three goals, so everything is possible in football.”
The former Ivory Coast coach admitted his side created enough opportunities in the first leg but lacked cutting edge in front of goal.
“We made a very good game, I think we put trouble in Sundowns last week, but we were not efficient.
“So, we just have to believe in ourselves, like we believed in Cairo in the past. Everything is possible, we will see tomorrow,” he added.
