Experienced Harambee Stars centre back Brian Mandela was unavailable as Stellenbosch held Egyptian giants Zamalek to a barren draw, in a CAF Confederation Cup quarter final tie played at the Cape Town Stadium on Wednesday.Mandela has not featured for Stellenbosch since receiving his marching orders during their barren draw against Orlando Pirates, in a league match played on 11 March.He last played, at the competitive level, in Harambee Stars’ 2026 World Cup qualifier 3-3 draw against The Gambia on 20 March, where he clocked full time and further, wore the captain’s armband after Michael Olunga was rested in the 85th minute.##NAJAVA_MECA_8823983##Mandela was largely expected to return to the matchday squad against the visiting Zamalek, but coach Steve Barker opted against using his experience.It remains to be seen whether Barker will include the former Tusker defender for the return leg set for 9 April in Cairo.Kenyan goalkeeper keen on sealing continental football with South African clubStellenbosch, who are in the knockout stages of the Confederation Cup for the first time, will have to win or secure a scoring draw to progress to the last four.Zamalek, on the other hand, will hope to capitalize on home advantage and muscle their way to the semis, and ultimately retain the cup they won in May last year.Mandela joined Stellenbosch in August 2024 on a free transfer after parting ways with champions Mamelodi Sundowns.TACTICAL ANALYSIS: How Mamelodi Sundowns secured first win over Esperance in 25 yearsHis move to Stellenbosch was to guarantee him more playing time, but that has not been the case, as he still struggles for minutes.Besides playing for Sundowns, where he won a couple of titles, including the league, the former Posta Rangers man featured for Maritzburg and Santos in the South African top tier.
