Sundowns go to Angolan side Wiliete on Sunday for a tough away day, while Pirates are in Botswana to face African Stars of Namibia at a neutral venue on Saturday. Both of those ties are in the Champions League.
Kaizer Chiefs also have a tough away day as they go to Zambia to meet Red Arrows on Saturday, while Durban City, in their debut season, host Mauritian outfit ASPL 2000 on Sunday.
Here is a look at the biggest wins and heaviest defeats for the ‘Big Three’ in African club competition.
Mamelodi Sundowns
Biggest win: 11–1 vs Côte d'Or (Seychelles), Champions League 2019/20
Heaviest defeat: 1–6 vs Africa Sports (Côte d'Ivoire), Champions League 2000
Sundowns’ 11-1 win over hapless Seychelles side Côte d'Or is not only a South African record in African club competition, but also the biggest-ever victory in the history of the illustrious African Champions League.
Sibusiso Vilakazi scored a first-half hat-trick and provided three more assists for an astonishing personal performance that included six goal contributions.
Themba Zwane also scored twice, while Gaston Sirino and Mauricio Affonso were among the goals.
Sundowns had 31 shots at goal, so you could say that, in a way, they were quite wasteful!
The Brazilians’ heaviest defeat came against Ivorian side Africa Sports in the 2000 Champions League in an away group game. It remains the biggest defeat in the club’s history in African competition and a joint-record loss for a South African club in continental competition, along with Ajax Cape Town and Stellenbosch FC, who both lost ties 5-0.
Kaizer Chiefs
Biggest win: 5–0 vs Lobatse Gunners (Botswana), Champions Cup 1993
Heaviest defeats: 0–4 vs Espérance Tunis (Tunisia), Champions League 2005; 0–4 vs Wydad Casablanca (Morocco), Champions League 2020/21
Chiefs’ biggest-ever win in African club competition came in their very first tie 33 years ago as they defeated Botswana side Lobatse Gunners.
It was a commanding performance in the second leg after they had edged the first 1-0 away from home.
Their biggest defeats are a pair of 4-0 losses to North African opponents, both of them away from home.
Ironically, one was against Wydad Casablanca in a group-stage game, but they went on to beat the Moroccans in the semi-finals before a final loss to Pitso Mosimane’s Al Ahly in 2020/21.
The other was against Espérance in Tunis.
Orlando Pirates
Biggest win: 6–0 vs Botswana Defence Force XI (Botswana), Cup Winners’ Cup 1999
Heaviest defeats: 0–4 vs ASEC Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire), Champions League 2006; 0–4 vs Raja Casablanca (Morocco), Confederation Cup 2020/21
Pirates have a very similar record. Their biggest win is also against Botswana opponents, as they defeated the Defence Force side 6-0 in the African Cup Winners’ Cup in 1999.
They had six different scorers on the day in Simon Makhubela, Phumlani Mkhize, Joseph Ngake, Andries Sebola, Steve Lekoelea and Denis Lota.
The club’s biggest defeats were both by 4-0 scorelines, against Ivorian side ASEC Abidjan in the 2006 Champions League group stage and Moroccan side Raja Casablanca in the 2020/21 Confederation Cup quarter-final second leg.