Cape Town - Mamelodi Sundowns will complete one of the most remarkable turnarounds in African football history if they secure a point against Egyptian giants Zamalek on Wednesday night.
The Brazilians were knocked out of both the CAF Champions League and the Confederation Cup before the end of the domestic season and were all packed and set for the end-of-season holiday.
However, DRC Congo side AS Vita were disqualified for fielding an ineligible player during their win over Pitso Mosimane's side - effectively re-instating the South Africans to the competition.
The Brazilians are now 90 minutes away from securing a miraculous semi-final berth if they record a draw against the five-time winners of the competition.
Three points ahead of Zamalek in second and six ahead of Nigerian side Enyimba after winning all three of their games - albeit the 2-0 win over ES Setif was taken away after the Algerian side was disqualified for crowd violence.
"We are fully focused on the upcoming game, we have a few injuries and suspensions which we are getting around," Mosimane said, but did not mention specifically which players could miss out.
"We hope we do not have to wake up from this dream. I think we have found a way of playing successfully against north African opponents and making it difficult for them to beat us.
"It is wonderful to watch my team playing with such enjoyment and fearlessness. Our mental approach has been a key factor."
Zamalek will miss injured midfielder Mohamed Ibrahim for the key fixture at the Lucas Masterpieces Moripe Stadium.