Former Mamelodi Sundowns attacking midfielder Surprise Moriri believes the Brazilians’ friendly against Barcelona will aid them in their quest for continental glory.

The Premier Soccer League (PSL) gave Sundowns the green light to host the five-time Champions League winners at the FNB Stadium on 16 May.

Moriri believes the international friendly can benefit Sundowns’ chances of claiming their second continental title.

‘This match came at the right time for Sundowns as they are busy with their Caf Champions League campaign. It is not every African team that can get a chance to play Barcelona, so this match will benefit Sundowns, especially because they want to win their second Champions League this year,’ Moriri told SowetanLive.

‘This is a massive platform for the likes of Percy Tau [and the rest of the squad] to test their capabilities against the best. You need to play games of this magnitude to be counted among the best.

‘I think coach Pitso [Mosimane] will also use this match to prepare for the Club World Cup, just in case they win the Champions League.’

The two sides have previously met in 2007 when the Catalans came from a goal down to beat Masandawana 2-1 at Loftus Versfeld Stadium when goals by Santiago Ezquerro and Marc Crosas cancelled out Moriri’s opener.

In the first encounter, Barca was coached by Frank Rijkaard with superstars likes Victor Valdes‚ Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto’o, while Lionel Messi didn’t make the trip due to contractual issues.

Meanwhile, Sundowns were coached by Gordon Igesund with players like Moriri, Godfrey Sapula and Brian Baloyi in their squad.