Pitso expects Al Ahly to sit back
Sundowns will need to put on their A-game if they are to overturn the 2-0 aggregate score to pave their way into the semifinals of the continent's premium club competition.
Pitso Mosimane, head coach of Mamelodi Sundowns (Photo by Philip Maeta/Gallo Images)
Pitso Mosimane does dream of repeating last season’s 5-0 score-line against Al-Ahly this afternoon, who they humiliated on the same stage of the Caf Champions League, but he understands that beating the Egyptians by five goals without a response might be too much to ask from his players.
READ: Sundowns intend to unsettle Al-Ahly very early
“You wish you could get that but you have to be realistic because results like that come once in a while and maybe we might never have that ever, but at the end of the day, is it possible? Yes. Is it easy? No, it will not be easy,” said Mosimane.
“We will see how the approach is. If their approach is to sit back and not give us space, the five goals will just remain a wish but if they play and open up maybe we can. We don’t know what their approach is but we know our approach and that is to try and push forward as much as possible and we should never be desperate to score in the first 10 minutes but if we can we will score, why not but football is football and we have to be patient,” he added.
Sundowns will need to put on their A-game if they are to overturn the 2-0 aggregate score to pave their way into the semifinals of the continent’s premium club competition.
“The challenge for us would be them not allowing us to play by breaking down the game. They broke down all of our attacks in Cairo, there were so many fouls and they hold you and bring you down. The Champions League is tough and this one is the toughest because you have all of the big boys and it shows. Everybody who played away lost in the first-leg.
“This is the biggest of them all and it might never happen in Caf history for the last eight to be the way it is this season and what we like is to cherish the opportunity of being part of the top eight teams on the continent,” said Mosimane.
He added: “What is good for Mamelodi Sundowns is to play in that space because you don’t buy to play in that space, you work hard and you become consistent and you do it year after year.”
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