With the right effort and commitment, Mamelodi Sundowns will avoid slipping on the banana peel that is ABC Motsepe League club EC Bees in the Nedbank Cup last 16 – Aubrey Ngoma argues.
The Brazilians will host the amateur side in the Nedbank Cup last 16. The side from the Eastern Cape is likely to give their all against the 2016 African champions as the whole country will be watching them, something that they don’t get often. That’s why Ngoma believes that Sundowns has to come with the right effort and commitment to avoid an upset.
“I haven’t seen them play,” Ngoma said. “That’s what makes this fixture a little bit tricky for us. We are more comfortable playing against opponents that we are familiar with, people that we know and we get to watch every week. But with that said, it’s just a matter of us getting the videos and seeing how EC Bees plays, and then prepare for it like we do for every game – prepare to win. If we match them with effort and commitment, I don’t think that with the talent that we have at the club we will struggle to get the result. All we need to do is to make sure that we don’t take them lightly. As players we have to get our mentality right.”
“We are not playing a small team. If they can get to the last 16, that means they deserve to be there and they are competitive. We have to approach the game with the right mentality, take it like we are playing any other team in the PSL.”
The Brazilians won the inaugural Nedbank Cup in 2009 before repeating that feat in 2015. The Tshwane giants are looking to become the second team to win it three times.
But before hosting EC Bees, Sundowns continue their march for a record eighth league title in the PSL-era with a clash against Free State Stars at Loftus Versfeld on Wednesday. Ea Lla Koto have been a surprise package which sees them sitting in third place – six points behind Bafana Ba Style.
“I think that the team, players and the coach, have done really well for themselves to get such a good run until now,” Ngoma said. “We can never undermine and underestimate their capabilities and form at the moment. They are a team that’s playing well and getting results. We have to prepare well. It’s going to be a tough game but we will be well-prepared and by the time the game finishes, hopefully we would have gotten the three points.”
