Kekana anticipates hostile reception for Sundowns in Tunisia

Fresh from a narrow 1-0 win over Esperance in the first of the CAF Champions League quarter-final at Loftus Versfeld on Tuesday, Mamelodi Sundowns defender Grant Kekana is already focusing on the return match. 

Peter Shalulile’s solitary strike in the second half has now put the Brazilians in a strong position to advance to the semi-finals.

Kekana expects Esperance to pose a different challenge in front of their passionate supporters as they attempt to turn the scoreline around in next Tuesday’s second leg.

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“They wanted to be on the transition but I think we managed to deal with that and hopefully we can build on this win in Tunisia. We know what to expect and our coach has also briefed us but we have been in CAF (Champions League) for a number of years,” he said. 

“We know a lot about the hostilities and it’s something that we don’t focus on. We’ve gained a lot of experience and we’re open to all the challenges that we come across so this will be no different. They will do all they can to make sure that they destabilise us but we’re strong enough and we’re committed.” 

In addition to the hostile reception that awaits Sundowns in Tunis, Kekana is fully aware that maintaining discipline on the pitch will also be crucial.

Sundowns had a poor disciplinary record in the group stages, with their trips to North Africa leading to a total of three red cards. Aubrey Modiba was sent off against AS FAR, while Bathusi Aubaas and Khuliso Mudau were shown red at Raja Casablanca.

“Ours is just to play football and obviously, football has a lot of emotions but we don’t let the negative emotions overcome us and we deal with it pretty well and there’s a lot of experience within the team and within the group,” Kekana concluded. 

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“We remind each other that we have to play football, there will be fights there and there but we shouldn’t be distracted. The level is high and they are a difficult opponent and they beat us last season.

“We dealt with them properly and we weren’t desperate. In the first half, the game was a bit slow and it changed around in the second half  and we put more pressure on them and we were able to score a goal.”