Portuguese Miguel Cardoso, coach of Mamelodi Sundowns, South Africa, confirmed on Saturday that his team will face Raja Athletic Club and is aiming to achieve the first three points in the African Champions League, and aspires to a good start against a strong opponent. This was during his statements in the press conference that preceded the match in the third round of the group stage.
Cardoso said that he wants his start with Sun Downs to be good by achieving the first victory in the group stage, especially since the team did not achieve that in the previous two matches, and he highlighted that all the players showed a strong desire in training, and they are in a state of intense focus to win on the field and in front of the large crowds. And continue to advance in this competition to the furthest stages.
The new coach of Sun Downs explained that the atmosphere was very positive in the preparation for this confrontation, and that the entire week witnessed continuous work with confidence to achieve the goal and win over Raja. He also confirmed that work has been done on the small details that will make his team continue to develop its general level.
Cardoso continued: “We have worked on all the details of this confrontation. We are aware that we are required to win on our field. We know that all the teams in the CAF Champions League are the best on the continent, and we have to push ourselves to our utmost, despite the difficulty of facing an opponent the size of Raja. These are the type of matches we like to play because they show the extent of our strength and our weaknesses that must be corrected in the future.”
The same coach added: “Raja has great value, plays in a strong tournament, and has many good qualities that we worked on.” But the most important thing for me is to work on my team and invest in its capabilities well, because we have the capabilities that allow us to impose our control on the field. This is what we will work on in order to grab the victory that matters greatly to us.”
The same spokesman concluded: “We must play without tension, focus on our own way of playing, and be more mobile to search for spaces, without losing sight of the opponent’s movements and the way in which he will want to manage the match.” “Maybe it will take a long time, but we hope to be more organized and more patient, because this match will be played on small details.”
It is noteworthy that Raja will face Mamelodi Sundowns today, Sunday, at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria, starting at 2 pm Moroccan time.
