Mamelodi Sundowns coach Manqoba Mngqithi said as it is now, he can tell which starting line-up and potential substitutions Magesi FC will come up, come Saturday evening.
Sundowns and Magesi will be locked in a much-anticipated Carling Knockout final at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein. The game will get underway at 6pm.
Speaking to the media at the Sundowns training ground in Chloorkop on Wednesday, Mngqithi said because he fears teams that carry the underdog tag in matches of this magnitude, he digs deep into analysing them and the team they will potentially start with.
Always wary of the underdogs
“Going into the Magesi team, and because I respect every opponent, I am always scared of the opponents that are not favourites to win the match,” Mngqithi said.
“I am always scared of those because they always pull surprises. So, I try to dig as deep as I can and look at every individual. And to know their team, probably more than I know my team sometimes.
“Because as it is now, I can tell you the starting 11 and the potential substitutes. And everything that they can play in this match.”
Mngqithi said he is wary of the threat Magesi poses. He singled out some of the players that they will be keeping a close eye on.
“I know how difficult it is going to be to deal with that [Wonderboy] Makhubu up front. And I know Deolin Mekoa is going to be causing a lot of problems with his left foot. [Samuel] Darpoh is a big problem in the midfield because he breaks down most of the attacks.
“They have got [Tshepo] Mashigo on the right who is running for every ball. And [doing so] very instrumentally, even assisting them defensively. They have got [Delano] Abrahams as a right back, who I think is one of the most influential and underrated players in the PSL.
“He is very influential as an offensive player, but now he is playing as a right back. They have got [Edmore] Chirambadare – who is very lazy on the left but very dangerous offensively. Because when he comes out, he is a very important player offensively for them. So, I think he reserves the energy for that because he is very influential offensively.
Dangerous back four
“And in their back four, you know you have got [John] Mokone on the side on the left. And another [Lehlegonolo] Mokone as a right centre back.
“You have got [Elvis] Chipezeze who is a very good goalkeeper, and he works very hard. He knows what he is doing.
“We know what to expect and we just have to be focused and keep our levels of motivation at the right level.”
