No North Africa fears for Sundowns
After wrapping up their most successful Caf Champions League with a 1-0 victory over Wydad Casablanca, Mamelodi Sundowns will now wait with bated breath to see who they will be paired with in the quarterfinals.
Pitso Mosimane, coach of Mamelodi Sundowns (Gerhard Duraan/BackpagePix)
Sundowns will face either of Raja Casablanca of Morocco or Egyptian giants Zamalek and Al-Ahly, who they have a good record against. Downs embarrassed Ahly with a 5-0 thumping last year while they beat Zamalek 3-0 in the first-leg of the 2016 final.
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Masandawana mentor Pitso Mosimane says he has nothing to worry about as his side know how to play against the North Africans who usually dominate on the continent.
“It is good to finish on top of the log, which is what we wanted. It is a positive change for the team. We are growing slowly with the experience and we tend to understand the tournament a little bit more now, we are no longer naïve,” said Mosimane.
“The most important thing for us is to know how to play against the North Africans because they have been dominant in club football. The title is always in North Africa and they are always in the semifinals. History says most of the teams that have won the Champions League a lot are from North Africa.
“What is important for us at Sundowns is to understand their culture and mentality and how they play. We have played Esperance, Al-Ahly, Zamalek, Wydad, USM Algers and the results have been good, which means we understand their mentality,” added Mosimane.
His plan is to not lose when they play the first-leg on the travels and then make sure they seal the deal in the reverse fixture.
“When we go away we must not lose and we have to sort it out at home. If we score away, that’s much better. It is always difficult for anyone to come here and just walk, as much as we them but they know that they cannot say they want to come to Pretoria. You should be very brave to say that because sometimes they don’t find the ball here.”
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