Sundowns coach Cardoso to ring changes against amateur side

As expected, Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso will rest some of his big guns against ABC Motsepe League side Mpheni Home Defenders in the last 16 round of the Nedbank Cup at Lucas Moripe Stadium on Sunday.

The Brazilians will be at home to the amateur team that is based in Limpopo looking to advance to the quarterfinals of the season-ending competition. 

The Tshwane giants can afford to give a respite to their heavier artillery for the match against Defenders who are the only third-tier outfit left in the competition. 

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Apart from long-term absentees like Themba Zwane, Mothobi Mvala and Rivaldo Coetzee, new signing Keanu Cupido is still not in contention for a place in the team after arriving from Cape Town City carrying an injury. Meanwhile, Khuliso Mudau and Divine Lunga remain sidelined.

“We have to fight to get a good result but most of all, we need to understand the moment. The moment is for us to provide opportunities for players that haven’t played and rest the ones that are really tired and need to recover,” Cardoso said during a media briefing on Thursday.

“We also need to perform at the highest level in order to get the result so our focus is to first get the result and go further in the competition. Second one, it’s to build a team that is as strong as possible. We should also analyse the players that can cope with the situation in order to play this match and also look further ahead to what we have coming.” 

Although Defenders are relatively unknown to most football followers, they stunned Motsepe Championship team Hungry Lions 3-1 in the last round of the competition. Their history with the Nedbank Cup dates back to the 2023-24 season where they also reached the last 16, but eventually lost to premiership side Chippa United. 

“They’re a team that comes with an ambition and a dream but it’s our job not to allow that dream to become a true goal. We need to focus on what we have to do in the match and face it in a more serious way,” Cardoso cautioned. 

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“These kinds of competitions are always tricky. If the ones who think they are stronger don’t respect that fact and show that they’re stronger. That’s what we’ll focus on, the right attitude and face a game that is important to us so that we can control the opponents and go through to the next round of the competition.”