Photo Courtesy Sundowns Media.
Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has warned his charges to play with ‘a lot of respect’ when they take on Golden Stars FC in the Round of 32 clash of the Nedbank Cup at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
Having already booked their place in the quarter-finals of the Caf Champions League, and cemented their lead in the Betway Premiership following their 2-1 win against Magesi FC, Masandawana will shift their focus to the domestic Cup which they last lifted in 2022.
However, to advance to the last sixteen, the South African champions must overcome the Free State-based side and according to Cardoso, he has called on his player to go into the fixture with respect and must avoid underrating their opponents.
“I started preparing for the match and in the last few days, my staff has been working on our opponents. We didn’t have information on them, but we are now aware of the team we are going to play, after watching them play live in their last game,” said Cardoso as quoted by the club’s official website.
“It’s a match we need to play with much respect like all the matches we play. We will not look at where they come from because if we do, we can find ourselves making mistakes in terms of how we approach the game.”
Cardoso continued: “We will approach the game in a serious manner and that’s the only way we can win the tricky matches that cups usually bring. We don’t want to be surprised. I will be serious in the way I will demand my players to face the game. This is not only respect for our opponents but also respect for ourselves and the competition. This is a very important competition that we want to play to win.”
He explained: “You don’t prepare for this kind of match the day before the game, you need to prepare the attitude in general. That’s what we have been doing since we arrived at the Club so that we understand that it’s not a matter of who you are playing but the attitude more than the motivation.
“I don’t believe in short-term motivation and external motivation. I believe in drive and pursuit as the way to live. That’s what we’re trying to build in the locker room in terms of values. If we live according to these values, that’s the way we’re going to behave all the time,” Cardoso concluded.
The last time the Brazilians came close to lifting the title, they have already won seven time, was last season but they suffered a heart-breaking defeat against rivals Orlando Pirates in the final.
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