CAF Champions League football could not have asked for a better return, with last season’s finalists Mamelodi Sundowns hosting a tricky Stade Malien outfit, the dark horses this season.
Sundowns and the Mali team go toe-to-toe under the lights at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria on Friday night. The game is scheduled to kick off at 8pm.
Stade Malien shrug off underdog tag
Despite experiencing some minor injuries, suspensions, and the lack of support from the PSL, which coach Miguel Cardoso has repeatedly moaned about, Masandawana head into the tie as outright favourites.
However, Stade Malien coach Mauril Njoya has downplayed the underdog tag, stating that they will be looking for nothing less than a win.
“In football, there are a lot of surprises. Those so-called small teams can surprise big teams,” Njoya told the media on Thursday.
“Even for us, if we are playing against a team that some may call a small team, we are always going for the win. But if they call us a small team, we will also go for the win against a big team.
“The Champions League is where we want to be. It is where the biggest teams in Africa compete. So, we are here not just to visit, we are here to stay. We want to be one of the best in Africa,” he added.
Sundowns expect a very physical game
Cardoso himself did admit that Malien will have an advantage from a physical point of view, but it is nothing that his side can’t deal with.
“It’s a team that has a lot of physicality, in some moments, some teams suffered a lot with that in the group stages,” Cardoso said.
“But also, that physicality can play against you because also sometimes there are more attractions on the ball … let’s see.
“But Sundowns players have experience also, and if they take it to the limit and understand how to approach the game tactically and strategically, probably it can work,” he added.
