Mamelodi Sundowns will spare no weapon in their arsenal in a quest to reach the finals of two prestigious tournaments.
This is a crucial week for them as they need to shrug off Chippa United and Zesco United, whom they meet in the second leg semi-finals of the MTN8 and the CAF Champions League tonight and Saturday night respectively.
Sundowns captain Hlompho Kekana says he and his teammates will prioritise both competitions.
“It’s important to win these tournaments. We want them both. We are not going to prioritise one over the other. If we score goals in both matches, we would have sorted things out and set ourselves up for the finals.
“We need to be ruthless and take our chances. That’s all we have to do. We are refreshed. We anticipated these kind of things. We have a programme and we are coping very well. We want to go far in these competitions,” said Kekana.
“I am proud to be in this space. My teammates are also excited to be in the semi-finals of these competitions. It’s a chance for us to be in the finals of two different competitions. It’s encouraging that our efforts have not been in vain. We want to make use of this opportunity.”
Kekana and his teammates are fresh from a tough battle in Ndola, Zambia where they went 2-1 down to Zesco in a thrilling first leg encounter.
What’s encouraging for Kekana is that Pitso Mosimane fought tooth and nail even when their backs were against the wall in Ndola. In that match Sundowns displayed great fighting spirit to make a comeback after Zesco dominated them for the whole match.
They will need put on the same fight when they face tough customers in Chippa at the Lucas Moripe Stadium tonight.
With the first leg having ended in a goalless draw in Port Elizabeth, Sundowns need a win to ensure they set up a date with Bidvest West, who have already qualified for the final of the MTN8. Kekana knows that Chippa will not be a walk in the park.
“We just have to give them respect and after that we get down to business. We just need to take our chances. Nothing is more important than goals in this clash. It’s going to be a tight game because of the tactics.
“We are determined to do well in this fixture. We saw Chippa and how they played in the first leg. It was a very tough match. We need to get the goals for us to reach the final.
“We know the strengths and weaknesses of Chippa but if we play to our own strength, we will overcome them,” said the Bafana Bafana midfielder.
Mosimane will have to be astute in how he lines up his side tonight. If he sticks to the same team that did duty for him in Ndola, Chippa could go at them with hammer and tongs hoping that they will crack.
Mosimane has often said Chippa play similar to Zesco and as such the Brazilians will be expecting to be attacked from the first to the last whistle.
Dan Dance Malesela equally yearns for a trophy to put the cherry on top of what has been scintillating performances by his men.
Since it’s a do-or-die clash for both sides tonight, it’s expected to be a thriller once again.
The Star