Sundowns to approach Chiefs game as a once-off

If the pre-match press conference from Kaizer Chiefs coach Molefi Ntseki and his Mamelodi Sundowns counterpart Rulani Mokwena is anything to go by, then expect fireworks when the two rivals come face-to-face in the MTN8 semi-final at FNB Stadium on this afternoon.

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From Ntseki responding to the ‘lucky team’ jibe by Mokwena and the fact there is a lucrative cup to play for in the first match of the two-legged heavyweight clash.

Ultimately, the game is won on the field of play and The Brazilians will be confident of getting another positive result against Amakhosi in their own backyard having won the DStv Premiership encounter in the second round matches earlier this season.

Mokwena has already done his homework on a Chiefs side that is showing steady progress under Ntseki having picked up two back-to-back victories heading into the game.

“With regards to Chiefs, I think they have made incredible progress,” Mokwena noted.

“I have a few more games to watch but fortunately I have had enough time to watch three matches now and I think they had a very good performance against AmaZulu and they were good against a very difficult Stellenbosch FC team away from home.

“I then revisited our match against them and there does look to be a repetition in some of the processes from out of position. From that perspective they look to be a little bit stronger with the actions without the ball.

 “Pule Mmodi gives them a different dimension with Mduduzi Mdantsane who is very good in between the lines, a very different type of profile to when they played against us with a Siyethemba Sithebe for example as the midfield three.”

The 36-year-old says they will approach the game as a once-off as they look to avoid a repeat of what happened last season when they were ousted by Orlando Pirates in the same stage of the competition.

“We have to play it as a once-off in my opinion and make sure we try and get the result that gives us good possibilities to approach the second leg with good confidence,” he said.

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“The mentality for us this season is to prepare as well as we can and try to win every single match.This is an important stage of the competition and we want to do better than we did last season. Our experiences in two-legged affairs tell us that a lot of what happens in the second leg is of course determined by what happens in the first leg regardless if it’s home or away.”

According to Mokwena, Sipho Mbule and Grant Kekana are doubtful for the game because of injuries while Thapelo Maseko, Peter Shalulile, Thapelo Morena, Nasir Abubeker remain sidelined.