Cardoso urges Sundowns bravery in do-or-die clash against Fluminense

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has urged his players to rise to the occasion as they prepare for a must-win clash against Brazilian giants Fluminense at the FIFA Club World Cup.

Sundowns need a win

The encounter takes place at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on Wednesday, where the stakes couldn’t be higher with a place in the last 16 up for grabs. Sundowns, who sit third in Group F with three points, must secure a victory to progress to the knockout stage.

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Fluminense and Borussia Dortmund both sit on four points, with the Brazilian side topping the group on goal difference. Fluminense opened their campaign with a goalless draw against Dortmund before putting on an impressive display in their 4-2 victory over Ulsan HD. 

“As you remember in the first press conference, I spoke about how we want to be at the World Cup and I said we want to compete,” said Cardoso.

“It’s exactly what we did against Dortmund and what we also did against Ulsan HD to show that we’re on the pitch to play and we’re not afraid. 

“We have to respect every moment of the game and every opponent and their qualities. We know what they have but on the other hand, we should be brave enough to take ourselves to the limit.”

Having narrowly lost 4-3 to Dortmund after a spirited showing, Cardoso believes that the performance against the Bundesliga outfit earned his side global respect and should serve as motivation heading into the decisive fixture.

‘We can take a lot’

“Sometimes out of defeats there’s nothing you take home but out of that defeat, we can take a lot. We can grow and take confidence and get belief,” he added.

“We got respect and I think we got a lot of respect from the world. I heard people that came to tell me the opinion from people at Dortmund. 

“I heard people asking for shirts, saying that they want to get memories from this team and it was beautiful to see. It means that we’re on the right path and let’s keep fighting until the end.”

Dortmund will take on Ulsan HD, who have already been eliminated from the competition. Kick-off is scheduled for 9pm South African time, with both fixtures set to be played simultaneously.

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Fluminense head coach Renato Gaúcho will once again be without midfielder Otávio and winger Yeferson Soteldo due to injury. Meanwhile, Sundowns are closely monitoring the fitness of striker Lebo Mothiba, who is suspected to have sustained a muscle strain.