Sundowns to face acid test against Pirates

Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Rulani Mokwena is of the view that the camp the team held during the Fifa World Cup break probably worked for the DStv defending champions, but does not rule out the possibility of a disaster post the interval.

Sundowns’ title defending credentials will be put to the test once more when they host championship hopefuls Orlando Pirates at the Loftus Versfeld on Friday afternoon.

“It is going to be two good teams and did the break help? We don’t know, we will only see on match-day. It is always difficult because if you watch the English Premier League, you can see that a team like Chelsea had momentum before the break but when they played their first game upon the return they looked like a different team,” said Mokwena.

“Liverpool also looked like a different team and that tells you that breaks are very difficult to judge until you have the performances on the pitch. We will see what the players put on the pitch on the day and we will know that the work that we have done is good enough to display a good performance,” he added.

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However, the rivalry between the two sides has always suggested that form does not play much of a role as the Soweto giants hardly hold back when they face Bafana Ba Style.

“We know that against Pirates, we don’t have a chance to win if we don’t play well. What we can focus on is the preparations but we have done well to help the players and we hope we can give a performance that is good enough to see us win,” Mokwena said.

Star player, Themba Zwane is hopeful that the break will come in handy as Downs look to create some breathing space between themselves and the chasing pack.

“It will be a difficult game but the break has helped us a lot because we went to our mini camp to prepare for this game and the rest of the season. The camp was successful and we achieved what we needed to achieve and we are ready for the game. The team looks stronger and sharper,” said Zwane.