Tenacity key for Tiyani & Co
Mabunda upbeat ahead of Downs’ Zamalek date with destiny
EVEN THOUGH he wasn’t there, Tiyani Mabunda knows what the mood in Zamalek’s changeroom was like after their 3-0 loss to Mamelodi Sundowns in the first leg of the CAF Champions League final.
Four years ago, Mabunda was part of a Black Leopards side that lost 3-1 to Nigeria’s Warri Wolves in the first leg of the CAF Confederation Cup’s second round. The chances of Lidoda Duvha overturning that result and moving a step closer to the group stage looked bleak.
“We had to rise as a team in the second leg,” Mabunda said. “We came to South Africa and won 2-0. It was the best game, I think, we played as Leopards on the continent.
“We believed we could do it and we did. We knew we didn’t have our best game in Nigeria. It was tense in the changeroom after that loss. We told ourselves that this isn’t how we want to go out. We knew we would turn the result around after that conversation.”
Mabunda is on the other side now, plotting how to stop a Zamalek side driven to overturn a 3-0 loss. The White Knights will try to do that at a sold-out Borg El-Arab Stadium in Alexandria tomorrow.
“It’s not easy to play against Mamelodi Sundowns twice. It’s been proven in a lot of games we’ve played domestically and on the continent.
“It’s difficult to accept defeat. The moment we lose a game, it hypes us up to make up for it in the next game.
“We lost the (MTN8) final against (Bidvest) Wits and we told ourselves that we need to pull up our socks and win the next game. We did that. Now that Zamalek want to overturn the Tiyani Mabunda of Mamelodi Sundowns, left, is challenged by Aly Salam of Zamalek during their Caf Champions League final, first lef, at Lucas Moripe Stadium. score, it won’t be easy for them just as it won’t be easy for us.
“It will be a very tense game. They will come out harder than they did in the last three games that we played against them.
“This match will be more physical. We are ready to withstand whatever they throw at us because they will be wary of what we can do.
“I know we’ll score in Egypt. It’s difficult to play a game and not score. I believe we will win.”
The Brazilians held their first training session in Alexandria yesterday after the players were given Thursday off to recover from their long flight. It also didn’t help that they couldn’t get a training venue yesterday, something Zamalek should have provided them with.
Today Sundowns will train at the match venue where they will look to tame the White Knights tomorrow night at 8.30pm (SA time).
The thought of being an African champion excites Mabunda, who was deemed surplus to Sundowns’ needs at one point, sent on loan twice and then demoted to the reserve side.
He stomached all that, waited for his chance and made the most of it when he finally got his break.
“Being an African champion will change the way I think,” Mabunda said.
“We won the league and that changed how I play and think.
“We knew that after winning the league we had to go one step better. We had to win the continental competition.
“After winning the Cham- pions League, we have to look at what more we can do because our coach pushes us. We can never do enough. If we score two goals, the next game we must score three.
“There’s always the next level. After winning the Champions League, there is the Club World Cup.
“We would want to do our best against the best teams in the world.” LONDON: John Terry has recovered from an ankle injury and will be available for Chelsea’s home clash with Manchester United tomorrow, manager Antonio Conte said.
The Chelsea skipper, who has not played since early September, was unable to train on Thursday after aggravating the injury, but Conte said the 35-yearold would be ready for the clash against José Mourinho’s United.
“John is in good shape,” Conte said yesterday.
“He trained with the team (yesterday). He solved his problem with his ankle. He’s available for the game.”
Terry has been out of action for five weeks since suf fering the injury against Swansea City, although he did make the bench for last weekend’s 3-0 defeat of champions Leicester City.
Mourinho’s return to Stamford Bridge, almost a year after he was sacked by the club for a second time following a dreadful start to the defence of their Premier League title, adds extra spice to the fixture this season.
The Portuguese is Chelsea’s most successful manager, having won three league titles in two spells in charge.
“I want to see progress compared with the Liverpool and Arsenal games and I am confident I will,” Conte said.
“It will be a tactical game but the fans have a big part to play and can be an advantage.
“I have great respect for Mourinho,” he added. “He deserves a good reception. He was an important man for Chelsea and wrote part of the club’s story.”
Meanwhile, defender Pablo Zabaleta is injured and will miss Manchester City’s clash with Southampton tomorrow, leaving manager Pep Guardiola with a selection dilemma as the club’s other recognised right-back Bacary Sagna is also injured.
Zabaleta injured his foot in City’s 4-0 Champions League defeat at Barcelona on Wednesday.
Guardiola said the Argentine would be back in time for Wednesday’s League Cup fourth round match against Manchester United, although the hamstrung Sagna will be out for at least another two weeks.
Guardiola defended his selection policy in Europe yesterday, rejecting media reports that striker Sergio Aguero and defender Vincent Kompany do not feature in his plans this season.
Aguero, the league leaders’ top scorer, was left out of the starting XI against Barca, while Kompany, the club captain, did not make the match day squad.