Fresh from winning against Amazulu last week, the Mamelodi Sundowns Diski Team will be looking to cling on to the number one position in the standings when they face the Sekhukhune United Reserves on Sunday at the Lucas Moripe Stadium.
“The preparations have been going well. We have had the whole week to look at Sekhukhune United and to fix our mistakes from the previous game. We are looking forward to the match on Sunday. We are playing against a tough team that has only lost one game, which was away to Stellenbosch. We have played against them in pre-season, so we know that they are a very physical team and they are very aggressive,” coach Themba Badela stated.
Babina Noko dropped points two games ago but made up for it when they beat Cape Town City 3-1 on home soil. After dropping points, they will head to this encounter armed and ready for war in the quest to climb up the standings.
“Everyone wants to beat us, everyone wants to beat the team on top of the log and unbeaten, but we don’t go into matches with that mindset. We just go to matches to improve our performances. So first, before anything, we have to match the fight because they are going to come very aggressively. We have to work hard, run and play with a lot of intensity, and not only rely on our talent. Once we can match their fight, we will put our talent in the pitch and that will help us win the match,” said the Diski Team head coach.
Even with the good form and performances Sekhukhune United has displayed, the Bafana Ba Style coach believes that a win is possible for the hosts. Furthermore, he stated that for a victory, the Brazilians are banking on performance and preparations.
“We rely on the performance, which is something we always focus on. Our performance from the last few games has been encouraging. We have been showing a good fighting spirit and we are playing good football. We will also rely on the preparations because we always know that once we prepare well for the game, we don’t have issues when it’s time to play,” he said.
With only two official games remaining this year, Masandawana will want to conclude the year still unbeaten, which will certainly set the tone for the new year. Coach Themba spoke on the importance of maintaining the outstanding performance and how they will ensure that it is maintained.
“We have to go on the same way we have been going since matchday one, where we focus on the match itself and we put everything that we have in preparing for that match. We don’t even focus on the next match. After the match, we review it, see the mistakes, do the corrections and focus on the next match with the same intensity and focus,” he concluded.
The Mamelodi Sundowns Diski Team will go head-to-head with the Sekhukhune United Reserves on Sunday afternoon at the Lucas Moripe Stadium. Kick-off is scheduled for 10H00.
