Downs ready for Barca

MAMELODI Sundowns captain Hlompho Kekana says tonight’s sold-out match against Spanish wizards Barcelona is one of the most important games in the history of the club.

Yesterday, it was officially announced that all 80 000 tickets for the match, starting at 6.15pm, have been sold.

“We’ve played important matches before,” Kekana said. “I’ve seen Sundowns go to Alexandria and win the CAF Champions League for the first time in the club’s history.

“But this match against Barcelona is one of those important matches that we have to play as Mamelodi Sundowns’ players.

“We are looking forward to the match,” he said.

From Page 1 “There will be no stage fright from anyone in our team. We managed to survive in Alexandria, so I think that nothing will ever break us.”

Kekana once joked that he went to watch Lionel Messi live to see that he is human. Tonight, he will see Messi closer than ever as he’ll be up against the Argentine ace.

Though this is a friendly, for Downs’ players it means much more than that as it’s an opportunity for them to test themselves against the world’s best.

Kekana was in his second spell with Black Leopards the last time Barca and the Brazilians played a friendly in 2007.

“Then I didn’t think that I’d captain a team like Sundowns against Barcelona,” he said.

“That’s why I always give thanks to the people who helped me become the captain of this team. I always try to serve them well and give them the best.”

Tonight’s game takes place at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg.