Mamelodi Sundowns’ coach Pitso Mosimane is excited to start the Absa Premiership title defence against Kaizer Chiefs in a titanic clash at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
This high-profiled match could be the catalyst that the Brazilians need to finally start the league on a high as Bafana BaStyle are notorious for being slow starters before regrouping and then blowing away the competition.
“What an opener! What a match! What a way to start the Absa Premiership,” Mosimane said. “It’s two big teams in a match with a lot at stake from the bragging rights to important points to start the season well. It’s always going to be a big and a tough game when you are playing against Kaizer Chiefs,” Mosimane said.
This match is just one of three “finals” Sundowns will play in August. The Brazilians host Golden Arrows in the MTN8 a week after taking on Amakhosi. Six days later the 2016 African champions visit Wydad Casablanca in their fifth match of the Caf Champions League group stage on August 17.
“We are used to having such games that determine our lives, games that are very, very important,” Mosimane said. “The game against AS Togo-Port was very important. If we had lost we would have been out of the tournament. If we lose to Golden Arrows, we’ll be out of the MTN8. After that we go to Wydad Casablanca and if we don’t win against Wydad we will be asking for favours and hoping Horoya doesn’t win against AS Togo-Port. Those two games mean a lot for us. We must go through to the semifinals of the MTN8 if we are serious. It’s just not easy for us because the South African football programme is different to the European programme. In Europe at this time they are still getting used to each other but here we are playing for results. It’s the way it is. We know about it. We can’t complain.”
Mosimane called on Masandawana to come in their numbers in all of the club’s home games to continue being the assuring voice they were in the Brazilians’ league triumph last season.
“Bloemfontein Celtic, we must give them credit. They have been doing it longer. They have been No. 1. But I can say now that Mamelodi Sundowns’ supporters are just behind Celtic in terms of singing,” Mosimane said. “Hopefully Masandawana will overtake Celtic with the singing. But we need numbers. The singing is good but when you have numbers it’s even better and stronger. Let’s hope for the best, at the moment it’s us and Celtic who are leading the pack. Our supporters sing and support us even when we aren’t doing well. It’s a tradition that they have started. After the match they don’t go, they sing and chant with us. We’ve also borrowed the Viking clap from Iceland. We have borrowed some good things from the World Cup.”
