Sundowns on quest to get maximum points in Tanzania

As Mamelodi Sundowns prepare for their Caf Champions League Group B match against Algerian outfit CR Belouizdad at  Benjamin Mkapa in Dar es Salaam on Sunday, midfielder Themba Zwane has revealed what makes the club a formidable side.

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The club from the capital city and Belouizdad play in Tanzania as a neutral venue after Downs were denied entry in Algeria.

Sundowns were meant to fly out to Algeria last week, but their trip had to be cancelled due to Covid-19 restrictions.

With the game now set to be played elsewhere, the Pretoria club head into this game holding a 20-game unbeaten run  in all competitions, with the Brazilians having last tasted defeat in the hands of the Bloemfontein Celtic during the quarterfinals of the MTN8 Cup last year.

From that point, Sundowns have been very impressive in their play both in domestic and continental football.

Zwane is part of the Brazilians lethal attack, which consists of new arrivals Peter Shalulile and Kermit Erasmus.

“The team has been unbeaten and shows that we are doing something well. We are one team, we fight for one another and we push all the time we play. We have quality players that are here to do the job and we can do it,” Zwane told Downs media.

“The combinations start at training as we push ourselves hard and try to communicate and understand each other. We motivate each other all the time, you can see when we score we go to the corner and celebrate together and that shows it is about the team. It shows that we are in this together, it doesn’t matter who scores but as long as the team wins.”

Meanwhile, Sundowns coach Manqoba Mnqithi has an idea on what to expect from their opponents and says they are going into this clash looking for nothing less than a victory.

“Technically, the North Africans have got something to give, good overloads on the ball side. We also believe we’ve got the team that can compete and win. We will fight for that. We are not going for a draw. We believe we can win,” said the Downs coach.

In their first group stages game, Sundowns beat Sudan-based club Al Hilal 2-0 at home. They now find themselves on top of the group with three points,

The Algerians, meanwhile, are tied on one point with TP Mazembe after their goalless stalemate. Al Hilal are last with zero points.

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