Mngqithi gets his wish as Sundowns are pitted against Atletico in Caf draw

Manqoba Mngqithi wished that Mamelodi Sundowns were drawn against a team from the neighbouring countries and his wish was granted when the Caf Champions League quarterfinal draw was made on Tuesday.

Mngqithi wanted to avoid being paired with a team that would come with extensive travelling and much to his delight, they were paired with the most convenient trip to Angola where they will face Petro Atletico.

Sundowns also avoided the possibility of playing Egyptian rivals and defending champions Al-Ahly in the semifinals should both sides advance to the last four. The Brazilians will play either CR Belouizdad or old foes Wydad Casablanca if they overcome Atletico. 

But before that, Sundowns have a small matter of consolidating their lead at the top of the DStv Premiership standings when they take on the beleaguered Swallows FC side on Wednesday evening at the Dobsonville Stadium.  

“We are playing an opponent that is very awkward with a lot of dynamic players. Lethukuthula Ndlovu presents a challenge with a lot of speed and dribbling and they have now started using Dillion Solomons as a full-back,” said Mngqithi.

“We know the kind of problems they might bring to the team and we have to understand that we have a bigger responsibility to achieve our targets as a team and as it is now, we have a responsibility to win the next two matches of this cycle because we have not done very well in this cycle,” he added.

After this league tie, Bafana Ba Style will shift their focus to the Nedbank Cup where rookie side Summerfield Dynamos awaits them over the weekend.

Mngqithi is aware that undermining Dynamos could lead to an achilles heel. He knows that the rookies have nothing to lose, and everything, including reputation, is at stake for the star-studded Masandawana outfit.

“Every team that plays against Sundowns brings their A-game. They are always motivated to bring their best. Ours is to make sure that we give every match that we play the respect that it requires and we make sure that we work hard and not give them time to think and exploit some of our areas of weakness.”

Meanwhile, as reported earlier, in the second tier of African club football, the Caf Confederation Cup – Orlando Pirates have been paired with Group D runners-up Simba SC. The Tanzanian giants missed out on occupying the top spot to Berkane as both sides finished on 10 points, with the Moroccan side claiming charge of the group with a superior goal difference.