The Mamelodi Sundowns DStv Diski Team are looking to turbocharge their pursuit of an early lead in the league this weekend when they resume their DStv Diski Challenge campaign in KwaZulu-Natal on Saturday.
Aiming to walk away with three points, the young Brazilians will travel to Durban for another exciting encounter to meet with the Golden Arrows Reserves.
Sundowns head into Saturday’s clash after their 1-1 draw in the Tshwane Derby, which was their opening match. Abafana Besthende also had to share the spoils in the KZN Derby against Amazulu Reserves.
The Mamelodi Sundowns DStv Diski Team Head Coach, Sinethemba Badela, reviewed the team’s opening match and said that his side dominated the game.
“There were a lot of positives to take from the game against SuperSport United, considering that we have a new team. Of course we are not happy with the results, especially with the number of chances we created, but we are happy that we were able to create those chances,” coach Badela said.
The Head Coach continued to praise his outfit for the amount of work they put and the pressure they put on Matsatsantsa’s goalkeeper, Micha Taitz, who received the Man of the Match accolade.
“Their (SuporSport United) goalkeeper was Man of the Match. It tells you that the game was a lot closer to his box than it was to our box. It’s a big lesson for us. We have to improve our conversion rate,” he stated.
For the Junior Brazilians, memories of the last campaign between the two sides could be still fresh as they lost 3-2 on an away encounter earlier in April, towards the conclusion of the previous season. This, will however, be the perfect boost for them to fight for the three points and register their first win of the season.
Coach Badela also provided an assessment of their rivals’ opening match last weekend. He said: “We are playing against a very good Golden Arrows (Reserve) team. We have managed to watch them against Amazulu where they drew 1-1, so we are expecting a very tough and physical game as they’ve got deep boys,” the young Brazilians Coach said.
“They’ve got a number 2 that plays as a number 10, then they play a double pivot then one of the sixes goes higher as a 10 to help the other 10. They’ve also got wingers, the 18 and 7, on the wing who are very good on the ball, very aggressive and quick,” he continued.
The Young Brazilians’ Coach concluded by confidently emphasising that his team is well prepared for their second game of the season.
“The mood is right in the team. We are looking forward to the game and we are well prepared. We have had very good training sessions and we are also looking forward to pushing the boys a little bit more.”
The clash between the Mamelodi Sundowns DStv Diski Team and Golden Arrows Reserves will take place on Saturday, September 16th, at the Chatsworth Stadium in Durban. The kick-off is scheduled for 10H00 live on SuperSport TV.