Sundowns brace for tough Mazembe
Mamelodi Sundowns will be up against a complex and aggressive TP Mazembe in the third match of their Caf Champions League campaign in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, on Saturday.
The Brazilians take on the Ravens at the cauldron of the Stade TP Mazembe with the sole mission of getting maximum points to stretch their lead at the top of Group B.
Victory for Sundowns would be their third in succession at this stage after 2-0 and 5-1 wins over Al-Hilal Omdurman of Sudan and CR Belouizdad of Algeria.
With both teams having played two matches in the group‚ Sundowns are top of the standings with six points while Mazembe are second with two after draws with Al-Hilal and CR Belouizdad.
“They are a very good and interesting team who are defensively very strong‚” said Sundowns coach Rhulani Mokwena‚ adding they had watched videos of Mazembe’s past few matches.
“We have watched their last few matches where they played in the derby against Saint-Éloi Lupopo and against Al Hilal of Sudan. In relation to what we have seen we know that it’ sa 4-4-1-1 system.
“They can be very aggressive‚ they push their wingers very high but they can also be very conservative by sitting on the block and playing on the counter. They have very fast players up front‚ so it is going to be interesting to see how they go about their business because they need the three points more than us.”
Mokwena said they had done light training and regeneration since they arrived in the DRC earlier this week.
“We did some injury prevention
work and activation on major muscle pulls. It also helps in relation to the travelling that we do because we sit for two or three hours on the flight and another hour on the bus.
“It is important that you wake the muscles up to put yourself in a position not to suffer muscular injuries.”
Mazembe and Sundowns have met five times in Caf club competitions with the Brazilians winning three times and the Mazembe winning the other two matches.