Sundowns taking no chances against Al Ahly, going for the win

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso says a positive result in the first leg of their CAF Champions league semi-final tie against 12-time CAF Champions league winners, Al Ahly, is non-negotiable.

The Portuguese mentor says if they do well in the first leg against the Egyptian giants, they stand a good chance of winning the tie and advancing to the final of Africa’s elite club football competition.

Downs, who have been knocked out at the semi-final stage of the last two editions of the competition, host Al Ahly at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Since winning the 2016 CAF Champions league title, Sundowns have reached the semi-final of the competition three times.

They were knocked out by Morocco’s Wydad Casablanca in the semi-finals of the competition in 2019. The Moroccan side also eliminated Downs in the semi-final in 2023, while Tunisia’s Esperance ended their campaign in the previous edition with Cardoso at the helm. It’s something Downs are determined to change.

After beating Esperance 1-nil in the first leg of their quarter-final tie in Pretoria, Downs booked their place in the semi-final with a goalless draw in the second leg in Tunis.

Cardoso says their plan is to do well on Saturday at home and complete the job next week in Egypt.

“If we can get a positive result without goals conceded which is what happened in the Esperance match it will put pressure on them because another goal from us would have killed the game.”

Defender, Grant Kekana says they have matured over the years and also believe, with Cardoso who coached Esperance to last year’s final, they can clear the semi-final hurdle this time around.

Kekana says, “We’ve reached this stage of the competition and fell short we’ve been together for some time and now know what made us come short and with coach who was in the final last year, hopefully we can use the experience to get in the final.”

Downs have had the better of Al Ahly in recent times, winning four of their last seven matches, with three ending in draws.

Meanwhile, Cardoso has revealed that Aubrey Modiba, who didn’t play against Esperance, is still out injured, while Themba Zwane and Mothobi Mvala have been training with the squad and are available for selection.