JOHANNESBURG - Continental champions Mamelodi Sundowns will take on Kampala Capital Authority at the Lugogo Stadium in Kampala, Uganda on Friday in what will be their 12th match since the start of February.
While Pitso Mosimane’s charges will be hoping that the goal that they leaked in their 2-1 first round first leg in Atteridgeville will not come back to haunt them, the former Bafana Bafana mentor knows all too well that the slogan of ‘cowboys don’t cry’ made famous by former Springbok rugby flyhalf Naas Botha, will be very relevant.
Mosimane’s star-studded squad has depth, top-notch physical conditioning and discipline deluxe, leaving only one area of the ‘Beautiful Game’ through which they could possibly lose both the CAF Champions League and Absa Premiership titles – mental strength.
In fairness to the PSL, they too have deadlines to reach as far as the completion of their calendar is concerned and can’t postpone the champions’ matches for ever and a day, so Mosimane and company have been left with no other alternative than to take the punch in their quest to play with the big boys of African football.
Football, like most sports, can be summarised as an 80 percent mental, 20 percent on the field game. It is here where Mosimane faces his biggest challenge. While it is relatively easy to lift his players for big time matches against the likes of TP Mazembe or Kaizer Chiefs, it is different when having to prepares the Brazilians, as Sundowns are known, for more down-to-earth matches against Chippa United and Polokwane City to name a few.
Sundowns go into Friday’s key fixture off an unusually barren Absa Premiership run, with only two points from their last three matches. A goalless draw away to Chippa, a 1-0 loss in the Mother City to Cape Town City, and a goalless draw in mid-week at home against Polokwane City, illustrates a hiccup in the system of the ‘mean machine’.
While Mosimane claims that his team have ‘budgeted’ to drop a few league points along the way, the perfectionist coach will be fuming deep down inside as Bidvest Wits, Cape Town City, Supersport United and Kaizer Chiefs fancy their chances to make a run for it at the top of the Absa Premiership.
With next week being FIFA international fixtures dates, most of the Sundowns team will get a rare weekend off from lacing there boots, although there are unlucky few.
Among the troops being sent back to do battle, this time for their country, are left-back Tebogo Langerman, midfielders Hlompho Kekana, Tiyani Mabunda and Themba Zwane, as well as the attacking Percy Tau.
These brave warriors of football will have their endurance tested even further when they do duty for Bafana Bafana in international friendly matches against Guinea-Bissau at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday, March 25 and against Angola three days later.