Mamelodi Sundowns’ bid to win another CAF Champions League title will be underway on Saturday evening when they take on Mbabane Swallows at the Lucas Moripe Stadium, in the first leg tie of the second preliminary round.
Ahead of the Champions League fixture, coach Manqoba previewed the highly anticipated encounter, stating that preparations have been going well.
“We have had the chance to prepare the team over the past few days, during the FIFA break. We unfortunately didn’t have our players that were playing for the national team because they only reported on Thursday, which was a little bit of a compromise in our preparations. We, however, have a team that is capable enough to come out and perform in this critical game,” he asserted.
The Downs coach has mentioned that his side will not undermine the opponent or even rest in their laurels. Instead, they will give maximum efforts in ensuring they have the upper hand before heading to the second leg, which will also be played on the same grounds.
“We are playing against the champions of Eswatini who have got three dangerous elements: they are very good at set-pieces, they are very strong at transition and they are a very quick team. I think the team is ready for them because we’ve done extensive work on looking at their strengths and which areas of their game we can capitalise on” he mentioned.
“For me it is never about setting the tone for the rest of the season, it’s about winning a football match. It is important to respect the opponents and not go into a game with a preconceived idea. This is a game where we need to stamp our authority. We go into the game with an open mind, lots of respect and humility,” coach Manqoba continued.
“It’s good that we are not travelling and that the match will be played in Pretoria, considering that the Bafana Bafana players only joined us two days before the match. If we were travelling to Eswatini, it was going to be difficult for us. Now that the game is played locally, it gives us a chance,” he concluded.
Mamelodi Sundowns will take on Eswatini side, Mbabane Swallows on Saturday evening at the Lucas Moripe Stadium. Kick-off is scheduled for 20H00.
If its true that Nassir is wanted by Young Africans me as a fan of Downs I would prefer him in an exchange for their player e.g Azziz Ki of Dube.
My team is always delaying signings this players we want will be Cup tie once the Champs League started and then we will not used them for the rest of this campaign.
Hope all the signings that gonna be made before next week Friday are not cup tied.
Manqoba once all the signings have been done the spotlight will be on you pls pull up yo socks before it’s too late play players on merit not on reputation siyakucela tuu.
Congrats to the technical team and the players, you responded well to our critique and criticism.You played beautiful football all round and were very commited ,you wanted to win and you won with a good margin.You played close to each other and playing the tiki taka we know you of, bossing that midfield with hardworkers there.