The Brazilians cruised to an eighth-successive Betway Premiership title in head coach Miguel Cardoso's first season in charge, earning him the PSL Coach of the Season award.
The Natal Rich Boyz, meanwhile, snuck into eighth place on the last day of the previous campaign.
Bay head coach Ronnie Gabriel says they come into this game under no real pressure because of how they qualified and will use the tie to gauge his side's readiness for the new season.
Ahead of the clash, Downs Defender Keanu Cupido says despite not getting much rest in the off-season, due to their participation in the Club World Cup in the United States, he expects his teammates to be ready to go up against Richards Bay.
Cupido explained in the Citizen: "We need to do our recoveries and nutrition is also very important in terms of food that we eat as players. Those are small details that separate professional players from football players.
"You can see the change in players like Tebza (Teboho Mokoena), he played so many games but it doesn't get to a point where you'll see that. They've always been consistent in their performances as well. So at Sundowns, most players are used to it."
Gabriel added that Bay are keen on causing an upset at the Lucas Masterpieces Moripe Stadium.
He said on FARPost: "With MTN8, we know that it's number one versus number eight, so we got Sundowns, they finished first in the league and we're number eight.
"So, going into the fixture, there's not too much pressure on us. We want to go and compete but play with a lot of freedom.
“This gives us a chance to be ready for the following week, the league game. If our performance takes us into the next round, we'll be very, very happy about it.”
While Sundowns made just a few tweaks to their squad, most notably with player departures, they were more conservative in the transfer market, signing the likes of Fawaaz Basadien from Stellenbosch.
Richards Bay made wholesale changes, signing a whole new team. Their new acquisitions include Gabadinho Mhango, Lindokuhle Mtshali, Thabani Zuke, Benson Mangolo, Halalisani Vilakazi, Ntokozo Nzama, Sboniso Madonsela, Philani Khumalo, Lundi Mahala, Mbulelo Nombengula, and Olwethu Mbambo.
Orlando Pirates delivered a commanding 2-0 victory over Polokwane City in their MTN8 Cup quarterfinal clash at Orlando Stadium on Saturday afternoon, securing their place in the semifinals.
Keanu Cupido says Mamelodi Sundowns have the ability to deal with the rigours of another Betway Premiership campaign despite a busy off-season competing in the Club World Cup.
TS Galaxy will be aiming to extend their winning streak against Sekhukhune United when the two sides meet in the MTN8 quarterfinals at Peter Mokaba Stadium on Friday.
Amazulu will look to end a five-match winless run in their MTN8 quarter-final against last year's cup runners-up Stellenbosch at the DHL Stadium on Sunday.
