Sundowns pin their hopes for Sirino
Pitso Mosimane and his Mamelodi Sundowns outfit will begin their 2018/19 Caf Champions League journey tomorrow in the preliminary round away to Equatorial Guinea side Leones Vegetarianos, as they begin their bid to make the group stages for what would be a fourth time running.
While the Brazilians had to lick their wounds after failing to make it out of the group stages in the previous edition, which was won by Tunisian giants Esperance, Mosimane chooses not to dwell on the last edition’s disappointments, but chooses to rather reminisce and draw confidence from their 2016 triumph, where they became only the second Sothern Africa side to win the continental showpiece after Orlando Pirates’ success over two decades ago.
Mosimane hoped to face less recognised opponents as he described the draw as a “difficult” one for the Brazilians.
“We got a difficult one ... I was hoping to get fishermen, not vegetarians,” Mosimane quipped.
The former Bafana Bafana mentor has added that he expects Gaston Sirino to carry the team since the departure of talismen Percy Tau and Khama Billiat, who were both instrumental in Downs’ 2016 ascendance to Champions League glory in two years ago.
Mosimane is not the only one who wants to see a lot more from the skilful Uruguayan as striker Jeremy Brockie also believes the 27-year-old attacker is a gamechanger.
“We always feel we have a good enough squad to win every competition we play in and we have what it takes individually to change a game. For example, Gaston Sirino and his last couple of strikes, they are the individual brilliance when things aren’t quite working and that can get a result for us,” said the former SuperSport United striker.
“It looks like Gaston is now becoming the player the club brought him here for. You can tell when you give him too much time and space he is going to hurt you. He not only has the finishing ability but a couple of goals and they are very classy. It is good to see him play such good football,” Brockie added.