Miguel Cardoso has time and time again expressed his malaise on how the Premier Soccer League has been treating Mamelodi Sundowns, particularly this season, where they play every three days, with little rest and sometimes a training sessions in between.
However, he will be heading into this week’s encounters at ease, having already done the hard part in the CAF Champions League ahead of the second leg in Mali on Friday, with a healthy 3-0 lead against Stade Malien.
But first, the Sundowns coach feels they need to overcome the Marumo Gallants hurdle on Tuesday night, when they host the relegation-threatened side at Loftus Versfeld Stadium.
“I think we are still too far to start talking about winning trophies at this stage of the season. The only thing on our minds is how we will play against Marumo Gallants on Tuesday,” Cardoso said after his side walloped Malien in front of a packed Loftus crowd on Friday night.
“We will then start thinking about the Malien game in Bamako because if our mindset is not on the next game, we will lose it along the way. So, we just need to think about the next match and take it one game at a time.
“The most important thing is to focus on the Marumo match because despite their position in the league, we all know how our last game against them ended (lost 7-6 on penalties in the Carling Knockout).”
Sundowns have not beaten Gallants so far this season, having lost in the cup game on penalties and played to a 1-1 draw in the league.
So, the message from Cardoso is to get maximum points, so that they can head to the hostile conditions of West Africa in Mali, not under a lot of pressure.
