The new year has kicked off, and football has returned, with Mamelodi Sundowns kicking off their 2025 campaign with the CAF Champions League as they visit Morocco to face Raja Casablanca for a return fixture on Saturday evening at Stade Larbi Zaouli.
In their last meeting, the Brazilians were the side that emerged victorious after winning with a tight 1-0 scoreline. This saw them seal the second place on the tally of the Group B table. Looking ahead to what can be anticipated as a mouthwatering clash between the two sides, head coach Miguel Cardoso and defender Grant Kekana looked ahead to the Champions League match.
“This is another important game for us, and we know our responsibilities for this game. We studied our opponent very well to prepare for the game. We had a long trip, but we are comfortable and ready, making us feel that we are in the right moment to face Raja with due respect,” Coach Miguel stated.
“I think the ambiance in the team is displaying a lot of brotherhood. We are all fighting for the same goal, and we all understand the objectives, what we are working towards, and what we want to achieve. We understand it’s going to be another difficult game, and it’s not easy to play in Morocco and playing Raja. It’s going to be tough, and I think preparations have been going well. It’s just about us asserting ourselves on the day and making sure that we take advantage of our opportunities,” Kekana mirrored the coach’s words.
Kekana further stated that the results achieved in Morocco in the previous years of competing for the Champions League will not matter. What will be important is to ensure that they put the work on the pitch and get positive results to boost their chances of qualifying for the next round of the competition.
“I don’t think the stats are going to affect our preparations. We understand that the past is the past, and ours is to look forward to the next game. We have the utmost respect for Raja because they are a big team. We know they are going to make it difficult for us, but we believe in ourselves, the structure of the team, and what we are doing. When the day comes, it will be just about us making sure that we can do what we have been working on,” the defender stated.
Mamelodi Sundowns will go head-to-head with Raja Casablanca on Saturday evening at Stade Larbi Zaouli. Kick-off has been scheduled for 21H00, live on SuperSport TV and SABC.
Our players lacks discipline especially at the back.This thing of short passes at the back is our downfall and Ribeiro that red card is his stupidity he lost the ball because he wants to dribble everybody instead of just passing and I still repeat I will be happiest guy if Downs can sell this thing they called Ribeiro since he wears jersey no.10 he thinks he is a star.
Thanks God there’s no var because oneday we will play with eight players on the picth.
It’s so funny that when we criticise the coach we’re reprimanded, yet certain people think only they have a right to criticise the tea. Aubaas was passed the ball and he controlled it and lost it, and upon trying to retreive if he lunged onto the Raja player. Hlompo and Simphiwe were saying the same thing if you watched the halftime review of the game on SABC. Ribeiro was the one of the only three players trying to play in that whole team and surprisingly he was substituted. Take out Ribeiro and that team is dead dead. Like I’ve said previously, there’s no service from the midfield for our strikers., and Ribeiro takes matters on himself to try and go get the ball from the midfield. I honestly don’t see what Teboho Mokoena and Marcello Allende are doing in that midfield, except for passing sideways and backwards. We’ve lost a proper n0. 6 in Rivaldo, and the coach was supposed to venture into the market to look for the proper replacement. Our management made a big mistake with this coach, they should’ve gone for Miguel Gamondi. We’re going back to those dark days of firing and hiring the coaches before Pitso came to rescue use. The slump was bound to happen as no team can dominate forever, but ours could’ve been managed properly.
You are calling a human being when you say this thing,Rebeiro is a human being he also make mistakes and I hope and learn from them… North African players are not playing football honestly and is boring that attitude of them…
The technical team must raise the issue if ill-discipline by both Aubaas and Mudau, its worse that one of Mudau ,we are chasing a game he assaults a player unnecessarily, and he is always creating commotion on the field, I think he is overated this one.
We lost the game because Rajah knew what they wanted and were willing to do anything to win the game.Our spoilt brats players were playing like they are playing makufe cup.Truly speaking Rulani players are destroying our team, want to dictate coaches on how they want to play,mainly their nonsense playing from the back.You can’t put three skilful and intelligent players upfront and spend 95% of the play next to your goal area.Team selection and substitutes were very wrong,Allende lacked match fitness instead Mkhulise should have started,Letlhaku made an assist against the same Rajah instead of introducing him the coach brought an unfit Lorch.The red card to Aubaas was self inflicted because we put ourselves under an unnecessary pressure by constantly playing balls at the back and losing them all the time. The red card to Mudau is a blessing in disguise,the boy thinks he’s Mamelodi Sundowns,he’s not as people make him to be,he can beat opponents and run forward but his final ball left much to be desired,good riddance with his suspension.I saw Mathews’ thigh heavily strapped and then got surprised that he started the game ahead of injury free players.We went to Morocco for holidays not to fight for the brand Mamelodi Sundowns.If we are not careful we are going to be like chiefs by changing coaches when the problem lies with the players.
Thanx very much Ayanda and Downs4Ever. After reading your comments I realised we were indeed watching the same game. I was really surprised by Muzi’s comments and I was starting to ask myself if I was watching a different game. There’s nothing much to write home about that Raja team, much as we’re going down, we should’ve easily beaten them if the technical team did their proper job. I’m not really worried by losing Mudau and Aubass, and I so wish we can conclude the group stages with them sitting on the stands.
Dalom your problem I have with you is praising Riberio,that boy every game he gets a card even that yellow he got yesterday after they push Allende he just went to the opponent and fights with him for no reason because the referee is there to punish the culprits.
He wants to take everyone on the field and that alone will cause him unnecessary injuries and I know Makhaula of Pirates next month will sort him out really if you know football that boy is derailing us and our coaches are not doing anything about him.
Some of you when Manqoba disciplined the Bafana players he was called all sort of names even blaming him that he also destroyed Bafana for not fielding them how I missed Rivaldo with his accurate passes.Mokoena is so poor even on taking setpieces nowadays and you’ll see him opening his big mouth with a long and big tongue after he misses.
I blame our Management about this because there’s a player in Tanzania who can solve our middlefield easily and I wonder why they’re not buying us a good striker to help Rayners or they’re happy with what we have.Let’s young Gomolemo Kekana will help us in the middlefield and We mustn’t take that team from Drc for granted those boys can play.Lastly Var will be our problem if we proceed to the knockout stages because our players lacks discipline mark my words.
Caf is letting down with the attitude of North African teams,it’s been a while this thing of this teams threatening everybody on the field including the referee happening but the disciplinary committee is just quite as if all is normal let alone the lazers that are keep on used in every games.
Yesterday games the referee was baised in some of the decisions and they’re two referees that are not afraid of them,the guys from Ethiopia and Gambia respectively.
I won’t say Motsepe must do something because they will say he’s biased because of Downs but this guy are getting out of hand now even their National teams are like this.
Exactly bro, they deserve the harshest sentence so they will learn thst they are not above every one, and they doing all this because they think they are better and they are not Africans so they bully what so ever of Africa… DC must sort them… Untill when our players should understand the Northern guys, no ways we can’t understand nonsense and we must always adjust ourselves
I think we played the occasion not the game, I thought we have experience playing these sort of games by now. We lacked emotional intelligence & that raffled our play in all areas. Criticising so & so, suggesting who must be bought or played, won’t help us, didn’t, even during Pitso’s tenure. But it’s true Mudau is a good player but his very naughty. Not all is lost we still have a chance, to go to the quarters , I hope we learned the lesson
The strongest defense is to attack, that’s how Sundowns have always been about not this physical defense nonsense that we see in Cardoso’s system, he is too defensive and give opponent confidence in attacking us in the end 😏😏 We must forget about scoring goals going forward with this coach 1 or 2 goals per match will be the order of the day and defending the entire match 😏😏