Sundowns’ Lebusa counting on the Cardoso factor in Tunisia

Mosa Lebusa has emphasised one key factor that could give Mamelodi Sundowns the upper hand in securing a victory over Esperance in the second leg of the CAF Champions League quarterfinal on Tuesday night.

Cardoso’s trump card for Sundowns

Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso is tasked with leading the club to their first Champions League final since 2016, a year in which they lifted the trophy. 

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Cardoso was the architect of Sundowns’ elimination in the semifinals last season, while managing Esperance. Lebusa is counting on Cardoso’s experience in Tunisia to help guide them into the semi-finals of Africa’s premier club competition.

“We are lucky enough to have a coach who has been in the final last season and played in it. He’s helping us and making us reach our full potential,” Lebusa explained at a press conference in Tunis.

“That’s not to say that other coaches didn’t do that but he’s different in his own way. We are focusing on doing better than we were in the previous seasons. Other coaches also did their best but right now we are focusing on the present.”

Although Sundowns hold a 1-0 advantage from the first leg, Lebusa anticipates a challenging night at the Rades Olympic Stadium. The match is scheduled to kick off at 21:00, and the defender is confident they can finish the job away from home.

‘We are fortunate’

“We are happy to be here and we know the task at hand. It will be a very difficult match for both teams,” Lebusa added. 

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“You could see last week that it was a very tactical match. We have been working very hard since we arrived here. We are fortunate to have a coach on our side who makes sure that we always work hard and hopefully we will become victorious.”