Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper, Zuko Mdunyelwa, has no doubt that they will compete to be placed in the belt with Esperance Sportive de Tunis from Tunisia, since both teams see themselves as deserving of a place in the Caf Champions League final.
Sundowns got the job done by winning the first leg of the semi-final 1-0 away.
It will welcome these giants of African football on Saturday at 3 pm, at Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria.
According to Mdunyelwa who spoke to the media at the Sundowns headquarters, the fans are the ones who will enjoy the game.
“We are facing teams with experience in this competition and none of them have any sign of complacency,” said Mdunyelwa.
“Going ahead by one goal is not enough. We will be playing against a team that is forced to win and interpret themselves as saying that they will attack us from the start. The fans will watch a great game because Sundowns enjoy playing against teams that are strong. Esperance’s strong forward will leave them behind, as happened in the first leg, and we will punish them.
“What is clear about this game is that both teams have important reasons to attack each other, which I can see will benefit those who will be watching it. It is important for us to go to it with a sober mind because we understand what happens in the Champions League when you relax.”
Another thing that this player who is not familiar with the jersey sees as a weapon for Sundowns is the in-depth knowledge of ES Tunis from coach Miguel Cardoso.
In the past three seasons, Cardoso took Sundowns out of the Champions League on the way to the final, which was won by Al Ahly from Egypt.
“Even though things are changing, there is deep and useful information for us that we get from Cardoso because he has worked for this team in Tunisia. The most important thing is full confidence that we have the experience to win this title which is still painful to trade at the end of last season,” said Mdunyelwa.
It has been 10 years since Sundowns last won the Champions League title.
In another semi-final match, Moroccan teams, AS FAR and RS Berkane are facing each other. In the first leg, AS FAR won 2-0.