Former Mamelodi Sundowns and Polokwane City forward Rodney Ramagalela admits that both MTN8 finalists have pressure to win the tournament, however more so his former side.
Sundowns will meet Orlando Pirates in the Wafa-Wafa final at Moses Mabhida Stadium this evening. The Brazilians have in recent years struggled in the season opening domestic cup competition with their last trophy coming in 2021, which was also the last time they reached the competition’s final.
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Meanwhile for Pirates this is their fifth successive MTN8 final and they want to make history by winning it a fifth time in a row.
Ramagalela told IDiski Times journalist Lethabo Kganyago in edition 274 of the newspaper that he feels Sundowns will be the more desperate of the two, especially because coach Miguel Cardoso – despite his achievements with the side – is yet to win a domestic cup.
“Everyone has pressure, especially when you are playing a cup final,” Ramagalela told IDiski Times.
“When you are Mamelodi Sundowns or Orlando Pirates, you are expected to win trophies; it doesn’t matter the kind of trophies that you are playing for. But every trophy on offer, you will have to go and get it.
“I think [Miguel] Cardoso, yes, is more of an under-pressure coach because, since he came to South Africa, he has never won any silverware in terms of the domestic cups.
“And this is the one that he has come close to, which he has to go and win it for him to reduce that pressure at the beginning of the season.
“Maybe go and have a good season altogether, going to the next competitions. But Mamelodi Sundowns are more under pressure in terms of winning the domestic trophy.”