Sundowns up for the Top Eight

East London 13-07-2015 Tebogo Langerman we Mamelodi Sundowns edlula ku George Lebese we Kaizer Chiefs .I mamelodi Sundowns iyokuziqeqesha eZambia.Umfanekiso Chris Ricco/BackpagePix

East London 13-07-2015 Tebogo Langerman we Mamelodi Sundowns edlula ku George Lebese we Kaizer Chiefs .I mamelodi Sundowns iyokuziqeqesha eZambia.Umfanekiso Chris Ricco/BackpagePix

Published Aug 4, 2015

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Mamelodi Sundowns’ MTN8 record don’t resonate well with a team of their stature.

History has not been kind to the Brazilians in Top Eight competition. Since the inception of the PSL, Sundowns have won the Top Eight tournament just once while Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates have won it eight times (four each).

This doesn’t make for good reading and Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane wants the six- times PSL champions to change the status quo.

“It’s one tournament we haven’t done well in for the last three years. The first time I came here we didn’t make the Top Eight. Last year Platinum Stars took us out quickly. This year we’ll try and give it a run. The Nedbank Cup, we won it; Telkom Knockout, we went to the semi-finals. This one we have to do something. It still being pre-season, it’s a bit early to tell but you never know and we’d love to win the Top Eight.”

For Sundowns to make the grade in the MTN8, they have to shrug off the challenge of Bloemfontein Celtic, whom they host at the Lucas Mopripe Stadium in Atteridgeville tomorrow night. The match will also give indications as to how ready the teams are for the 2015/16 PSL season, and Mosimane is understanably keen to see how his men will fare.

“Once the game starts you can tell where you are. On the positive side, of all our pre-season games we drew one and won the rest. Pre-season wins don’t say much but they are good for confidence and momentum. The danger is that you can play a lot of games and you can think you have arrived,” said the former Bafana Bafana coach.

“Even MTN8 is not really going to determine where you are but it will show some signs of what’s coming next.”

Tomorrow night’s game is expected to be an enthralling encounter. The last time the sides met at Lucas Moripe Stadium, Sundowns came off worst with Celtic subjecting them to a 5-0 annihilation in a match that ended their PSL title pursuits.

“They put five past us in one of those games. But I have seen Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Barcelona lose by six,” said Mosimane, downplaying the outcome of that huge defeat.

The coach is yet to find a replacement for erstwhile captain Alje Schut, who left Downs at the end of last season. Chances are he may go for reigning PSL Footballer of the Year Tefu Mashamaite.

“Is he available? I don’t know. Jazzman (Mashamaite’s manager) must tell us and then we’ll look at it. He’s a good player.”

Mosimane has signed just one player, Abdul Razak, this season but revealed they are closing in on Colombian striker Leonardo Castro, who is on trial at the club. “Leonardo is scoring, he is big and good in the air. We like what we see and hopefully we can sign him.” - The Star

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