Mamelodi Sundowns are preparing for their second consecutive away clash in the DStv Premiership when they travel to meet with Richards Bay at the King Zwelithini Stadium. The Brazilians will be looking for their 5th consecutive victory, having played four matches in their opening campaign of the 2023-24 season and winning them all to accumulate 12 points at the top of the log standings.
It will be a historical feat for Masandawana if they defeat the Natal Rich Boys to win their opening five games of a league campaign for the first time in the Premier Soccer League and set a new record. Bafana Ba Style’s midfielder Teboho Mokoena spoke openly about the team’s preparation in the lead-up to the critical match and what they expect to come up against on the day.
“I expect a difficult game of course, knowing Coach Kaitano [Tembo] and how hard he is. I know the approach and how he will approach the game. I remember how he’d approach Sundowns when I was still playing for SuperSport United, he used to say ‘Mano a mano’, so when the ball arrives a man arrives too. It’s going to be a tough game, a hard game with harsh tackles.”
“I think maybe they will play on the counter attack, [Banele] Barns, [Somila] Ntsundwana and they also have Lucky [Mohomi] who is a good passer of the ball.”
The Brazilians began their title defense with 3 home encounters and 1 away battle thus far, their fixture with Richards Bay is a consecutive match on the road. Mokoena indicated the importance of a winning mentality as he looked ahead to the clash with Richards Bay with a mixture of determination and excitement.
“It’s been tough but we mustn’t get tired of winning, we must always try as much as possible to be consistent and keep on winning. The aim is to win the next game and just keep on winning. We don’t prepare much because we don’t have much time, but we are always ready for the next game. At Sundowns you must always be ready because we play 2 games every week, we must always be ready for that challenge.”
Mamelodi Sundowns lock horns with Richards Bay in the DStv Premiership on Wednesday, 23 August. Kick off is 17H00, live on SuperSport TV.
