Ex-Pirates star warns ’Downs

TSHWANE – The Brazilians were drawn with Young Africans in the CAF Champions League quarter-finals.

Yanga host Sundowns on March 30 for the first leg, before travelling to Tshwane for the April 5 second leg.

Former Orlando Pirates attacker Mahlatse Makudubela is now with the Tanzanian giants and warns Masandawana against looking down upon his team. “I think it’s a very good stage, everyone in Africa will be watching the quarter-finals,” Makudubela told FARPost.

“The fact that all eight teams made it this far means there is no easy team, there is no easy draw. The general feeling (within the team) is that we’re here by merit. We’ve competed in the group stages and come this far,” the skillful attacker added.

“Yanga is here by merit because we deserve to be here, we could have drawn any team and it happens to be Mamelodi Sundowns, which is very exciting for us. Everybody at the club is looking at this game, and we’re going to make sure we qualify for the next round,” he said.

“We look forward to it. We know it’s not going to be an easy game. Sundowns is a very well-structured club, technically and tactically. The players they have, the history speaks because of the things they’ve achieved. But, for us, we understand that to be the best, you need to compete against the best,” he explained.

It is an exciting time for Tanzanian football as giants from that country, Young Africans and Simba SC have reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League. Football in the East African nation looks to be on the rise and Yanga reached the CAF Confederation Cup final last season. That could support Makudubela’s remarks that they are in the Champions League knockouts on merit.

Both Young Africans and Sundowns are currently on the Fifa break and some of their players are on international duty with their respective countries. They return to club duties straight into Champions League responsibilities.