Stade Malien has vowed to turn the tables against Mamelodi Sundowns when they meet at the weekend.
Malien coach, Mauril Njoya, has addressed the media after their first-leg hammering in Tshwane on Friday.
He said with confidence that his team has what it takes to overturn the 3-0 goal deficit at home, possibly taking the game to penalties.
‘I promise you that we are going to win in Bamako’
Sundowns travel to Mali for the CAF Champions League quarter-final second leg in Bamako, the capital, on Sunday evening.
“I think that it’s football, it can happen, and we think the next match will not be the same as this. I promise you that we are going to win the match in Bamako – even 3-0 to go to penalty kicks, or I don’t know, but we have to score many goals,” said Njoya.
Malien face a confident Sundowns
However, overturning this result will not be as easy as Njoya thinks, as they will be up against a Sundowns side enjoying a good winning run and is confident.
The 2016 champions have turned the corner, being brutal against all their opponents in recent weeks.
Hostile conditions expected in Bamako
Downs coach Miguel Cardoso said his side will not be complacent and will approach the game with a positive mindset under hostile conditions in Bamako.
“What’s important to understand is that 3-0 is just a result, and football history has lots of comeback stories. If we don’t go to Bamako with a strong team and the right mindset, we are going to have a lot of bad tastes in our mouths,” Cardoso said.
“The Mali game is another dimension because it is going to be on a dry pitch, and that is going to make the game slower in capacity to take the ball out of contact. Also, the temperature there is very high, and the rhythm of the game will be slower.
“That is going to make it difficult for us to play the game we want. But we have experience, and if the players have the right mindset, we will be able to fight for a result away from home.”
