Polokwane City and Mamelodi Sundowns will be closing off the first round of the MTN8 in their quarterfinal clash this afternoon and coach Phuti Mohafe and midfield hardman Cole Alexander say they are gassed up as they aim to cause an early upset by dumping Masandawana out of the competition.
City and Sundowns will cross swords at the Lucas Moripe Stadium in Atteridgeville, Pretoria, at 3pm. The semifinal draw will take place after the match.
Three teams have already booked their spots in the last four, including defending champions Orlando Pirates.
Ahead of the encounter, Rise and Shine coach Mohafe said some of the club’s ambitions would be to advance to the next stage of the competition and ultimately clinch the title.
“As an ambitious team, we are looking to make progress to the semifinal and hopefully break the record,” Mohafe said.
“We have been qualifying for this tournament and it has been eluding us. We just want to go one step forward and that step forward should be in the final.
“We might be ambitious, but we also need progress, and we need improvement as a team. So, we are looking for those three aspects of Polokwane City this season.”
With the odds set to be stacked against them, Alexander said they would use the underdog tag to their advantage and shock the country by eliminating the -Brazilians.
“We will not put unnecessary pressure on ourselves because we have done well to be part of this prestigious tournament this season,” Alexander said.
“I am sure that the whole country will be thinking that it will be a walk in the park for Sundowns but our responsibility is to make sure that we don’t put unnecessary pressure on ourselves that they will beat us.
“So, I think we should instead use that [underdog tag] to our advantage and surprise the country by playing from a place of underdogs and where we will give our all,” he said.
“If there is one thing about our identity is that we give everything to the field.”
