Mamelodi Sundowns are set to play their last game before the international break, and this will see them shift their focus to their first round of the Carling Knockout. For their opening match of the cup competition, they will host Bloemfontein side, Marumo Gallants, on Saturday night at the Lucas Moripe Stadium.
This will be a competition the Brazilians will want to win this season, to redeem themselves, after losing out in the final in the 2024/25 season in the 2-1 defeat against the then newly promoted Magesi FC. This new season presents the side that holds four titles of the competition, with an opportunity for them to get to the very end and lift their fifth.
In a press conference in Johannesburg, coach Miguel Cardoso previewed the fixture and touched on how the team has been preparing for this encounter, following their victory in their last match at the weekend.
“We are heading to another competition, and there are high expectations that are equal to the demands. As Mamelodi Sundowns, we are obligated to win competitions. We recently played Marumo Gallants away from home in the league. We have seen how they have been playing, so we expect a tough opponent from them. We ourselves have been preparing the best way. We have had a chance this week to prepare well, so we should be able to meet the demands of the game,” the Portugal-born tactician said.
Marumo Gallants are no strangers to Bafana Ba Style, as they have already met this season in Bahlabane Ba Ntwa’s backyard. The 1-1 draw in Bloemfontein was not a favourable result for the Pretoria-based side, and coach Miguel has emphasised that his side will not be the same side Gallants met earlier in September.
“We cannot be the same team they played against them last time because we will get the same result. We need to be different from what we were then; we need to be more aggressive, mature, and have more control. We also need to have the capacity to understand the game. We, however, do not expect a different MarumoGallants because that’s how they play. The players know what kind of game we have in hand, and we just need to make it different for us to get a different result,” the coach stated.
Not only will Bafana Ba Style be looking to kick off this cup campaign with a positive result, but they will also be looking to draw a victory against Gallants before the league return fixture, which will take place in the second half of the season.
Mamelodi Sundowns will host Marumo Gallants for the first round of the Carling Knockout on Saturday night at the Lucas Moripe Stadium. Kick-off has been scheduled for 20H00, live on SuperSport TV and SABC Sports.
