Mamelodi Sundowns will be looking to walk away with a victory when they meet with Al-Ahly for Match 3 in the CAF Champions League Group Stages on Saturday evening at the Al Salam Stadium in Cairo.
Masandawana’s Head Coach, Rulani Mokwena shared an update on the team’s preparation ahead of the game, he said:
“We had a two-day build-up prior to traveling, we had a regen session and some technical work was done. We focused on tactics and worked on the schemes as well as how we want to play in Cairo. We have a good facility in Cairo that the Al-Ahly, the government, and the CAF team were kind enough to assist us with.”
With the different climate in Cairo, Coach Rulani mentioned that the team will ensure that they acclimatize to the weather conditions. He shared that it was important for the team to have an extra day in Cairo before match day for adaptation because there are players in the squad that are first time participants in the CAF Champions League.
“We were here last season and we managed to get a good result against a talented side. A lot of players that were on the pitch then will not be there on Saturday because our team has undergone transition. Most of the transition has been led by injuries in the squad to players like Themba Zwane and Peter Shalulile”, said the Brazilians Coach as he touched on the club’s familiarity with the opposition and changes in the squad.
Coach Rulani went on to mention that the injuries have pushed the club to a space where they give more opportunities to players like Neo Maema, Cassius Mailula, Ronwen Williams, and Marcelo Allende who are playing in the Champions League for the first time.
Bafana Ba Style head into the continental tournament in good form after winning their opening two opening group stage games and are expected to put on a good performance on the pitch. Masandawana’s Head Coach concluded by adding that the team has had a comfortable stay in Cairo and that they will keep the focus on the assignment that brought them to the country. “We don’t want to be too comfortable because we are not here for luxury, we are here on a mission. The focus is on the attention to detail and preparation for the game ahead.”
Mamelodi Sundowns lock horns with Al Ahly in the CAF Champions League on Saturday at the Al Salam Stadium, Cairo. Kick off is at 21H00, live on SuperSport.
