The Brazilians to Host Amakhosi in the Nedbank Cup Semifinal

A night of mouthwatering Nedbank Cup action awaits Mamelodi Sundowns on Sunday night when they meet Kaizer Chiefs at the Loftus Versfeld to do battle for a spot in the final of the cup competition.

Amakhosi will be meeting the Pretoria-based side for the fourth time this season, having met twice in the league as well as the Carling Knockout Cup. While Masadawana is looking to maintain their unbeaten run against the Glamour Boys this season, they will also be looking to advance to the final round for the eighth time.

Speaking to coach Miguel Cardoso, ahead of the clash in our backyard, he said the previous meetings between the two sides won’t matter and his charges will need the mental strength for this clash.

“As we approach the final of the competition the level of the opponents’ intensity rises. Kaizer Chiefs is one of the historical and top teams in South Africa, to whom we have to pay strong attention. We played them in the league and it was a very difficult match. They are a very strong team that is well-coached by Coach Nabi. So, we will need to take ourselves to the limit if we want to win this match and go to the final of this competition. We need to push the team to the highest level of motivation and capacity to play,” he said.

The Brazilians are coming from the back of a CAF Champions League victory that has seen them advance to the semifinals. With the stellar feat in continental duties, coach Miguel said he reminded his players to remain grounded, especially as they head to the Nedbank Cup fixture. He reminded them to put effort mentally to win this game.

“It’s a good challenge for me. I spoke about that in the locker room in Tunisia. Not only did I congratulate them for advancing to the semifinals of the CAFCL, but I also reminded them that we have serious mental work ahead of us. I think it’s not unique for these players to play such games in terms of time. We should feed ourselves with victories and ensure that we are at the top of our game,” the coach stated.

The coach concluded by stating that he was banking on his positive mindset and belief to take the team through to the last match of the competition. He said: “I want to have on the weekend, a positive influence which means we need to play to win. It is, however, not a normal match. It’s a match that will take one team out of the competition, which helps in bringing the best out of players from both teams. We just need to take ourselves to the top and understand what strategy to adopt and how we can overcome the difficulties we will face in the game.”

Mamelodi Sundowns will host Kaizer Chiefs on Sunday night at Loftus Versfeld. Kick-off has been scheduled for 18H00, live on SuperSport TV and SABC Sports.