Losing the Carling Knockout Cup final to minnows and newcomers Magesi FC last season will still be fresh in the minds of Mamelodi Sundowns supporters when the Brazilians get their 2025/26 Fak’uGesi campaign underway against Marumo Gallants at the Lucas Moripe Stadium on Saturday night.
Last season, Magesi sneaked in from out of nowhere with a 2-1 sucker punch to win their first PSL trophy in their maiden season. The win, one of the biggest shockers in the history of the PSL, led to Sundowns coach Manqoba Mngqithi walking the plank. Miguel Cardoso took over from Mngqithi after the embarrassing cup final.
In a press conference in Johannesburg, Cardoso previewed the fixture. He also touched on how the team has been preparing for this encounter, following their victory in their last match at the weekend.
High expectations
“We are heading to another competition. And there are high expectations that are equal to the demands. As Mamelodi Sundowns, we are obligated to win competitions. We recently played Marumo Gallants away from home in the league. And we have seen how they have been playing, so we expect a tough opponent from them. We ourselves have been preparing the best way. We have had a chance this week to prepare well. So we should be able to meet the demands of the game,” the Portugal-born tactician said.
Gallants are no strangers to Bafana Ba Style, as they have already met this season in Bahlabane Ba Ntwa’s backyard. The 1-1 draw in Bloemfontein was not a favourable result for the Pretoria-based side. And coach Miguel has emphasised that his side will not be the same side Gallants met earlier in September.
“We cannot be the same team they played against last time because we will get the same result. We need to be different from what we were then. And we need to be more aggressive, mature, and have more control. We also need to have the capacity to understand the game. We, however, do not expect a different Marumo Gallants because that’s how they play. The players know what kind of game we have in hand. And we just need to make it different for us to get a different result,” the coach stated.
Not only will Bafana Ba Style be looking to kick off this cup campaign with a positive result. But they will also be looking to draw a victory against Gallants before the league return fixture, which will take place in the second half of the season.
