WHAT’S ON CAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
PITSO MOSIMANE has his sight on getting something from a match he had budgeted that Mamelodi Sundowns will lose upon seeing the draw of the Caf Champions League group stage.
But now that the Brazilians have qualified for the knockout stage with a game to spare, and having beaten Wydad Casablanca in Pretoria, Jingles is confident that Sundowns can go to Casablanca and get something against the Moroccan giants to finish at the top of Group A. Mosimane cemented his name in the history books of South African football by guiding the Brazilians to the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the third time in a row. No other South African coach has done that just like there is no other who has led their team to five successive Champions League appearances, and has won the biggest competition in club football on the continent.
“The last match against Wydad is an important match because you must understand that there is a three-point gap between us and them,” Mosimane said. “So you don’t want to lose to Wydad, you want to be on top of the log and avoid to be mixed up with the big boys. When you’re on the left pool (with the group winners), it’s better. I am not saying that the teams that will finish second aren’t good. In the Champions League, anybody can beat anybody. Football humbles you. It brings you down when you think you’re on top. It keeps you grounded a little bit.”
Sundowns’ success was built on the same blueprint they used to win the Champions League in 2016 – winning all their home games. This sent a statement of intent across the continent. It will also give Sundowns confidence going into their clash with Wydad on Saturday, four days after tomorrow’s clash with Maritzburg United in the PSL.
“There’s an improvement from Sundowns in the Champions League this year,” Mosimane said. “A big, big improvement. If you look at our history, we haven’t won all our home games here in a long time. This thing is simple and straight like that, you win your home games and you get nine points. You then have to try and get two draws away and you should be sorted. We have a budget for one game that we are going to lose. To be honest, for me the budget was in the game against Wydad because I knew that it’s going to be tough and they’ll push us. But football is what it is, we lost in Nigeria and hopefully we get another point and we go to 11.
“In any group, when you win your home games, draw two away or win just one, you’re sorted. It’s important that we give a proper display when we’re at home.”