Mokwena hopeful Sundowns will be ready for Al Ahly test

There is a sense of hope that his players will be up for the challenge that comes over Rulani Mokwena when he sees them training at their new home base in Alexandria, Egypt.

Mokwena says the Sundowns playing personnel are not perturbed that they have been away from home and their families for almost two weeks now. It is, after all, what they signed up for when they joined Masandawana. 

Sundowns play their second game in a week in Egypt in the Caf Champions League group stages on Saturday. Last Saturday, they played to a goalless draw in a Group A match against Sudan’s Al Merreikh, in a match played on neutral territory because Sudan did not have a suitable stadium.

Today, it gets even tougher for Sundowns, as they take on the Champions League holders Al Ahly, coached by their former mentor Pitso Mosimane, who has already won two Champions League titles with the Cairo giants.

“When you sign for Sundowns … you’re going to spend a lot of time away from home. A good thing is that we’ve got a change room full of players that are used to that,” said Mokoena.

“They are familiar with that and also their families are very familiar with that, because part of you being away, the last thing you need is regular phone calls providing disturbances about what is happening back home. 

“When you look at where our players are, you see smiles on their faces every day and when you look at their eyes there’s a sense of relaxation. There is a good sense of anticipation.”.   

Mokwena says they know how tough the match against Ahly will be and that is why they have done thorough preparation for what could be a bruising battle against their former coach Mosimane. 

“We are prepared, we know where they are strong, we’ve watched their games. We know that in games like this, preparation also becomes an invisible contest, because surely there will be a lot of work that goes into preparing for us from the other side,” he said.

In typically lyrical fashion, Mokwena also emphasised the need for hard work in the Sundowns camp.

“You’ve got to also put yourself in a position where the universe can think about you when it thinks about who to favour, hence the language of work ethic.”