Mamelodi Sundowns will now shift their focus back to the Betway Premiership when they face struggling Richards Bay on Wednesday night. The Sundowns’ home fixture will be played at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium, and kickoff is at 7.30pm.
The Brazilians go into the match after a morale-boosting 1-1 result against Al Ahly that resulted in them booking a spot in the final of this season’s CAF Champions League. Sundowns grabbed a late equaliser against Al Ahly in the dying minutes to cause one of the biggest upsets in the history of the competition.
Sundowns last reached the Champions League finals when they won the competition under coach Pitso Mosimane in 2016. They will be looking to register more points in their kitty to keep second-placed Orlando Pirates at bay with the league race now approaching the conclusion stages.
Currently lurking in the relegation zone, the Natal Rich Boys will put up a fight to ensure that they are clear of relegation. Speaking on the Sundowns website, goalkeeper Denis Onyango stated that this fixture won’t be easy, especially coming from a difficult Champions League match.
“It’s not going to be easy for the boys, but we take every game as it comes. Right now, we are focusing on the Betway Premiership because we must win the league. Every game is a final to us, and we hope we win the remaining games of the league,” he said.
“It will be a very difficult game, especially because we come from a very difficult Champions League game. Now we have to switch our focus to the Richards Bay game. They are a team that’s good with their runs, they’re fighting to move away from the relegation zone. And we know that they will come guns blazing. We have the quality. And we must stay focused as a team and try to get positive results in all our remaining games.”
In conclusion, the Uganda-born shot-stopper thanked the Yellow Nation for the unwavering support they showed the team the entire season. He further encouraged them to continue supporting them in the remaining fixtures of this campaign.
“I would like to thank our supporters for being with us the whole season. We need them to come in big numbers to support the team and help us finish the season strong. This is what they wanted, and we are almost there. So, they should come and support us and push us through to the finish line because we need them.”
