Sundowns wary of SuperSport
JOBURG – African club champions Mamelodi Sundowns are wary of a possible scalping at the hands of their crosstown rivals, SuperSport United.
Fresh from scalping Orlando Pirates in one of the Soweto giants most humiliating defeats in many years, the in-form SuperSport United has sent shockwaves to their Tshwane Telkom Knockout derby opponents as they fear they could be next in line.
African club champions Mamelodi Sundowns lock horns with SuperSport in the Tshwane derby, fresh from their triumph in the Confederation of African Football (Caf) Champions League.
This quarterfinal match of the Telkom Knockout will be played on 5 November at the Lucas ‘Masterpieces’ Moripe Stadium in Atteridgeville, with kick-off set for 6pm.
Addressing a press conference ahead of the clash, the two coaches tried to play down their milestone achievements of the past week, with the Brazilians just crowned African club champions after beating Egyptian giants and multiple African champions, Zamalek.
Downs coach, Pitso Mosimane said their historic win was water under the bridge as he had to prepare and motivate the boys for the clash. “We may have won the gigantic one but there are still many more mountains here at home to climb,” he said.
His SuperSport counterpart, Stuart Baxter, equally downplayed their 6–1 triumph against the Mighty Buccaneers which led to the resignation of their coach, Muhsin Ertugral.
“We have to take the games one at a time and plan for each one. I do not have the luxury of choosing which matches to prioritise as Sundowns fans will not appreciate anything of that sort,” the Downs mentor said.
“To die-hard Sundowns supporters, a win’s a win, regardless of the magnitude of the match. If you lose, they will demand your scalp, regardless of who your opponent was.
“What makes it even worse is that we’re the defending champions of this trophy, and the pressure is on us. We just have to deliver or risk being humiliated.”
Mosimane bemoaned the fact that his boys have played non-stop football for the past two seasons, without even an iota of rest.
Baxter, on the other hand, as much as he relishes the historic scalping of the Buccaneers, said he had the unenviable task of keeping the boys focused and not letting the big win go to their heads. “I want them well focused and treating each game as a cup final. If I can be able to keep them in that frame of mind, then the rest will follow,” he said.
Read: Orlando Pirates face major test
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