Sundowns back at Loftus for Caf CL group stages

In the Caf Champions League, Mamelodi Sundowns consider themselves as gracious hosts, in stark contrast to the hostile reception they face when traveling throughout the continent for Champions League matches.

Sundowns head coach Rulani Mokwena is, however, referring to hostility in the stands more than the bad treatment clubs would experience when travelling. The Brazilians will kick-off their campaign in Group B where they take on Al-Hilal on Saturday afternoon in the capital city.

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Downs will return to their home, the Loftus Versfeld Stadium, after not being able to use it last season as the 2010 Fifa World Cup venue did not meet the high standards set by the Confederation of African Football. But with the newly refurbished dressing rooms and other improvements in the stadium, Sundowns are good to go.

Downs rotated their Champions League games between the North West, Polokwane and FNB Stadium last season.

Now that they are back in their nest, Mokwena has called on the Masandawana faithful to come in their numbers and try to replicate the atmosphere that saw them beat Zamalek 3-0 in the first leg of the 2016 final, which they went to win 3-1 on aggregate.

Appeal to fans

“When we played against Zamalek in the 2016 final, the players were able to raise their game because of the energy that was in the stadium. It is important that we ask for a lot of support that comes with the yellow drum that will push us because we are going to need that to beat Al-Hilal,” said the Sundowns mentor.

Since winning their championship about seven years ago, Mamelodi Sundowns’ performance in the competition has not been impressive. With Mokwena at the helm, he relies heavily on the backing of the fans to propel them to what could potentially be their third final appearance.

Masandawana made their maiden appearance in the final in 2001 when they lost to continental rivals Al-Ahly, who won the tie 4-1 on aggregate.

“There is a lot of hostility that is related to football and that is how it should be because a game without emotion is not a football match. The players have the responsibility to play well and give the yellow nation that confidence and energy. We also rely on them to push us through,” said Mokwena.

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Experience will come in handy

The Downs mentor, who was Pitso Mosimane’s righthand man when Downs won the trophy in 2016, hopes that players who have been involved in the Africa Cup of Nations and World Cup qualifiers will impart their experience to the likes of Cassius Mailula, while also using their experience to help the club navigate through to the next round.

“We have Brain Onyango, Denis Onyango, Kennedy Mweene, Peter Shalulile, and Abubaker Nasir. These were and some still are regulars in their national teams and we have the experience of the players who have won the Champions League. We are looking forward to it and it is a good challenge for us because the harder the games, the better for us because we can test ourselves and look to improve against good opposition.”