It features FC Barcelona — one of the most powerful and charismatic teams on the planet — in one of the most talked about club soccer matches played in South Africa in years.
But lingering misgivings surround Wednesday night’s highly anticipated showpiece at Loftus, revolving mainly around how Mamelodi Sundowns will fare against what would be daunting opposition under any circumstances.
Premier Soccer League champions Sundowns, believe it or not, only resumed training on Monday for this pinnacle test after a three-week break following the Absa Cup final defeat against Ajax Cape Town — and serious doubts must surely exist over their fitness and preparedness for a game against one of the top club combinations in the world.
Not that the players can be blamed in any way for going on a well-deserved holiday after a particularly gruelling season of domestic and continental matches, but there is, nevertheless, a touch of disbelief in the manner in which Sundowns have prepared to take on Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto’o and the other Barcelona superstars.
And, adding to the misgivings of Sundowns coach Gordon Igesund is the fact that his two key midfielders, Godfrey Sapula and Ezrom Nyandoro, have not fully recovered from injuries and are unlikely to have a major impact on the proceedings — if any at all.
What will insert a vibrant element of grandeur into what is hoped will be a dazzling spectacle is the presence of the mesmerising Ronaldinho, who was rated the best in the world for three successive years.
The Ronaldinho aura has diminished somewhat since his bitterly disappointing form for Brazil during the 2006 World Cup in Germany, but there is no doubt he remains one of the few soccer players who can be proclaimed a genius at his craft.
And it is Ronaldinho, foremost, that is the reason for the clamouring of tickets for the game and what is confidently expected to be a capacity crowd in the vicinity of 50 000.
Not that Barcelona are lacking in talent in other respects — the finishing of Eto’o and the craftiness of Brazil-born, Portuguese international Deco in midfield are likely to be other notable features.
Barcelona were deprived of the Spanish league title by Real Madrid through a peculiar head-to-head rule on Sunday after holding the title for the past two seasons, but they are too professional an outfit to allow this to dampen their performance.
Remember, too, that after Sundowns lost 2-0 to African champions Al-Ahly at the National Stadium in Cairo earlier in the year, Barcelona beat the Egyptians 4-0 on the same pitch a couple of days later.
And, with this grim reminder, it is hoped that Sundowns are able to rise to the occasion and play their part in what will hopefully be a memorable encounter. — Sapa