Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has made it clear that the Brazilians will take nothing for granted in the second preliminary round of the CAF Champions League, describing the draw against Girabola league leaders Wiliete S.C. as an unfriendly one.
The Angolan side top their domestic championship, and Cardoso says his staff have wasted no time in studying them as they started the season with five wins and a draw, leading Petro de Luanda.
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Cardoso acknowledged that fortunes in continental draws can vary, and that this particular pairing carries real danger for the South African giants.
“We will respect this qualifying round, the draw was not friendly, sometimes we catch teams we understand, okay we will do it, this is a tough one, they are leading the Angolan championship, we arrived from Durban and already started studying them,” Cardoso said.
Having just secured the MTN8 title, Cardoso expects Wiliete to test Sundowns over the two legs and stressed that focus will be essential, particularly in the first match played away from home.
“It’s a team that will obviously create us problems, we will need to be very focused, concentrated and take the games to the limit, work as much as we can on the first match away to bring a result, that can open more perspective for the second leg.
The emphasis on securing a result in the opening leg reflects the importance of the away fixture in a tie decided over two matches. A positive outcome in Angola would give Sundowns greater control heading into the return meeting.
“But even like that, we will need to take the second one in the limit, it’s the responsibility we have in all competitions, to make the best – Champions League is the next stage, and we have to perform on that stage, so that after we can take it to the group stage and take it from there.”
Cardoso’s words underline Sundowns’ continental ambitions. The qualifying rounds are viewed as a hurdle to be cleared before the real work of the group stage begins, but the coach is determined that the hurdle will not be underestimated.
Sundowns are scheduled for the 1st leg tie away from home on Sunday afternoon (17h00).