Sundowns need points more than Al-Ahly, says Mudau

Mamelodi Sundowns defender, Khuliso Mudau had to transition from constant relegation struggles with his former side Black Leopards to handling the pressure of success at Sundowns.

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He has now lifted multiple titles with the Chloorkop-based outfit and elevated his profile.

So much so that he has received another Bafana Bafana call-up and is expected to make the final squad when Hugo Broos trims his 35-man preliminary team to take on Liberia in home and away of Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers later this month.

But first on the menu for Mudau is the Caf Champions League with Sundowns as they host rivals Al-Ahly in Group B action on Saturday afternoon.

Sundowns need to catch up after Al-Hilal took charge of the group with a win over Cotonsport earlier this week.

That left Sundowns sitting on seven points with a game in hand over Florent Ibenge’s side, who lead on nine points.

“It is a big game and as Sundowns, we are going out knowing that they want to win the game but I think we need the win more than them. We are going out to fight so that we get the three points,” said Mudau.

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“When we sit and chat about the Champions League as players, we always mention that every competition is important for us. We always want to win every match and in the past seasons, we were knocked out in the quarterfinals.

“This time around we want to make sure that we go to the semifinals and we want to win the Champions League. We have goals and we want to reach those goals,” he added.

However, Mudau is not guaranteed to start for Sundowns, with Thapelo Morena also putting his hand up as the duo battle it out for the right-back spot at the club.

“Thapelo is a good player and everyone deserves to play at Sundowns. However, the coaches are the ones who make the final decision on who plays and who does not play. I just need to help the team and make sure that I am doing my best when I am on the pitch,” said Mudau.